Time Flows in Circles
by idlekids
Summary: Max is exhausted and out of options as she tries to save both Chloe and Arcadia Bay. That is until she receives a message from her future self. This story deviates from the last scene of Episode 5 and continues from then. This story will focus on greater dangers than a storm or serial killer.
1. A Storm Undone

**A/N: I recently replayed through LIS & BTS, and I spent a while afterwards reading many great stories on here but I was never perfectly satisfied with how things turned out. So here is my alternative interpretation on events following Episode 5 (this first chapter is actually a huge deviation to the last scene in the game, in order to set up the rest of the story).**

**This is my first attempt at a large piece of creative writing (outside of dm'ing); most of my day-to-day writing is scientific so I apologize if areas of this piece are a bit clinical.**

**Please note that text in singular quotes are thoughts.**

* * *

I am standing on the cliff by the lighthouse watching the storm tear towards my old home, to the homes of those I've recently got to know and importantly, towards the family home of the one I love.

I look towards her now. She has tears in her eyes as she tries to convince me to undo the past week, to undo all of the happy moments we shared.

I have lost count of the number of times I have stood here in this exact moment. I have repeated parts of my life over and over again, trying to find a way to stop the destruction. Now I'm back in the 'original' timeline, with no other options before me.

The repetition of the past week has been a lesson in torture. I have suffered the sight of her death over and over again but I endure it for her. The extra 'time' has had it's benefits though; it has given me the chance to practice with my powers. Early on I discovered I could combine my rewind and photo-jumping to jump back to certain points in my life, rather than temporarily visiting. I have grown used to the pain and dizziness and can tolerate rewinding for longer (and quicker). I also discovered that, if I don't stop rewinding, I can immediately fast forward again back to the original point. I can not fast forward into my future though, a power I wished I'd had in...

"Chloe...", I say weakly, "that... it doesn't work out like that." It doesn't. I have tried it a few times. Not at first, of course. I couldn't even consider letting her die alone on that bathroom floor, thinking that nobody cared for her. But the devastation that ripped through Arcadia Bay always destroyed her in the end. I was only trading a quick death by gun shot with a slow one through grief and self-blame. In a few of these cycles she forced my hand to go back to the bathroom, back to the place where I learned of my abilities. Each time I let her die was agony without purpose, as it only delayed the storm by a few weeks.

"It's not here for you Chloe." I turn back towards the storm. "It's for me. I created this and it's not just here and now, it's in every timeline I visit! Even if I travel back there now, what I have done in this timeline still somehow counts." I don't know if I fully accept or understand this reasoning, but it forms the best guess that Warren, Stella, Rachel and I have come up with in other timelines. '_Oh Rachel... I am so, so sorry that you're not in this timeline_.' I consider moving to a timeline where she survived but the one I am in holds a special place in my heart. I want to say goodbye to my original Chloe, the one with whom I shared my first kiss.

Chloe grips at my hands now and gets my attention. "Max, what are you talking about? It's me that should have died back then, it was my destiny!"

"Chloe..." I butt my head against her chest "you are the centre of my universe... " I lift my head back up and look into her blue eyes. "but I'm sorry to tell you the actual universe doesn't care about you or any of us. I'm sure the universe doesn't have some unholy beef against you. There's no such thing as fate or destiny, it's all bullcrap!" I see a little smirk form around her lips. "Listen... I was given an enormous gift and I wasted it on... on... " '_don't say shooting bottles, Max_' "manipulating people and saving girls from... from flying toilet rolls! I'm the selfish one here, I just wanted people to like me. I just wanted you by my side." I sigh before continuing. "You said it yourself Chloe, I have more power than an army and I totally misused it. This storm is... it's after me." Tears start to run down my cheeks, lost to the rain fall.

"What are you talking about? You didn't waste your powers Max, you've saved my life so many damn times, you saved Kate and I found Rachel because of you! Max, you're my fucking hero! You're Arcadia's hero!" She plants a soft kiss on my forehead. "You're my SuperMax."

"and that's the problem" I mumble, speaking louder I say "As long as I exist I would do it again and again because I love you Chloe. In a shitty way, that storm is heading to our home because I love you. I love you so so much that I would tear the heavens apart to just to keep you alive and happy for one more day."

"Max..." she has her eyes closed. I struggle to remember if I declared my love for her in this timeline, did I say it a few minutes ago, or was that another time?. I used to be so scared of telling Chloe how I felt about her. I would worry about making things awkward or her rejecting me. If I've learnt anything from this though, besides not to mess with time, it's that there is one universal truth in every timeline; that Chloe and I crazy for each other.

"wait... what do you mean 'as long as you exist'?"

I bite my lip and take my hands back. "I'm tired Chloe. You've only been with me for the past week but I have been with you for weeks... months now." It could even be years; it's really difficult to keep track of the time when you keep resetting it. I see the confusion on her face but I am too tired to explain properly. "They have been the best and happiest days of my life" '_mixed in with some really shitty ones_' "but I can't do this any more. I can't keep watching you die. I can't keep watching you lose your parents. I love you too damn much to watch you suffer."

I turn away from Chloe, her expression unchanged, and walk closer to the ledge overlooking the storm. I pull out my journal and flip through the photos I have in there. There is a pouch in the back where I keep old family photos. The earliest I can find is one where my parents and I are cuddling on the old sofa. I guess I am around six years old in the picture, so that would be two years before I met Chloe. Six is pretty young but I reckon I should be grown enough to do what I intend to. Before I can properly concentrate on the photo I feel a pair of arms surround my waist and the weight of a head resting on my right shoulder.

"No, I can't let you abandon me again Max!" I know she doesn't intend to hurt me but the words are jagged and cut deep.

I loosen myself from her grip and look towards her, photo still in hand. "Chloe... this is the only way to stop the storm, please let me be your hero... one last time." I know I don't need to reassure her, I know that all of this will be undone and she will not remember me. She'll never have known me. I still make the attempt. Because I love her. I love Chloe Price so damn much. I do not tell her that I am undoing our entire friendship, that I believe her life will be better if we'd never met, or that without my abandonment her life will hopefully lead somewhere other than the cold floor of a Blackwell bathroom.

As Chloe starts to form a reply I start to look back to the photo in my hand but I notice something strange. The storm in front of me suddenly leaps forward a few hundred metres and partially engulfs the town. I watch for a brief moment as the storm destroys everything in its path. I know from horrifying experience that the 'Two Whales' will have already exploded. I feel my stomach twist and turn from guilt. '_How did it jump like that_?'

"Did you see that? Chloe?" I turn back towards her and see a ghostly pale expression. "Chloe?"

"Max! Don't jump through the photo, it doesn't work. Future you said to try holding the storm or some shit." Now it was my turn to be confused. I had no doubt that some future version of myself had travelled back here. I know that Chloe would never lie to me like that. My memory is fairly jumbled; it's a struggle to remember all the small differences between one timeline and the next. '_I am fairly sure though that I didn't take a selfie in the past few minutes, so how could future me travel back here?_'

I avoid that line of thinking and instead focus on the rest of the message. '_If Warren's theory is right then my final plan wouldn't have worked anyway, as I still would have used my powers in this timeline. So future me's plan is to hold the storm? What does that even mean?_' The cogs slowly turn in my head as the storm tears through the town undoing the lives and livelihoods of the residents there. In my head I imagine the screams but I try to shut it out. Chloe still has her arms around me. "Chloe... did she say anything else?"

"Umm... not... not to you..." as she looks down. If I didn't know my Chloe any better I would imagine her blushing. I could easily guess what she meant though as I have done it myself a few times; it is nice to travel back to happy moments with her.

I realize the photo is no longer in my hand or in my pockets. Insurance I suppose.

"Chloe, I'm going to try something else but it sounds really dumb. I don't know if it'll work."

"Max I trust you... and future you."

I know she can't be touching me during this so I ask her to let go and for her to take a step back. I turn to the storm and hold up both hands. With my left hand I reverse time until the storm is back in the sea, undoing all the suffering but with it the past few moments; the advice, the hand-holding, the declaration of love. Over the wind I hear Chloe in the distance "Do it before I freak." '_So I'm at that point again_'.

I wave my right hand slightly in the air. '_I can hold the storm... this is silly. A storm is a storm, it's a mess of wind_.' As I continue to wave my hand I feel a slight pressure on my fingertips '_but this one isn't very natural, how can it be in every timeline?_' I follow the direction of the pressure with my hand until I feel something hard. It surprises me and I immediately pull my hand back. I look at the space where my hand was and see nothing. I breath in, close my eyes and try to feel once more. My right hand finds the pressure again and follows it to the object. I do not pull back this time but rather move my fingers around it. It feels like a string tied between two points; one on ground and the other in the sky. I follow it some more until my hand bumps into another string, this time flowing horizontally. As I continue to move my hand I feel more and more strings. I decide to open up my hand and gently push, closing it around a bunch of taught strings. I am firmly holding a bunch and immediately, with my left hand, continue to reverse time.

Through the dizzying haze I see two storms; one of them moves further away and decreases in intensity until it becomes no longer, while the other remains stationary in front of me. Tied to me.

I let go one of the strings and continue to reverse.

The clouds clear up and I see a second moon quickly fade in and out of existence.

I let go of another string.

The sun rises in the West and starts to move rapidly Eastwards.

Another string.

The stationary storm becomes clearer in the day light. It seems less intimidating. Day turns to night and night to day.

Another string.

The ocean swallows the beached whales. I feel wetness on my upper lip and a dripping on my shirt.

Another string.

Another day/night cycle. My head gets fuzzier and fuzzier. I have never travelled this far back with a rewind. The pressure in my head is enormous but my determination to save Chloe is greater. I feel my shirt getting wetter.

Another.

Snow forms on the ground and floats up into the air.

I let go of the last string.

Before I stop reversing, I fast forward. The pressure in my head is increasing, the stain on my shirt is growing, I am feeling dizzy and it becomes a struggle to stay awake, to stay focused. '_You can rest soon Max_' I reassure myself. My right hand is now gripping my head as I try to keep my brains in my skull.

Time moves forward, quicker than usual. As day becomes night and day again the snow reappears, whales beach themselves, a twin moon blinks in and out of existence. Dark clouds form and with it a disastrous storm. It descends on to Arcadia Bay but then suddenly disappears. I have reached the limit where I can no longer fast forward and I let go.

Consciousness escapes me and I collapse to the ground, resting in the still air.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you found it entertaining.**

**The next two chapters are mostly written out already but needs fine-tuning triple-checking first.**

**(Without getting into spoilers, I want to assure you that any paradox created in this story is intentional and will be addressed.)**


	2. After the Storm

**A/N: As the story is largely told through first person (for Chloe and Max), I will add headings to future chapters specifying the POV.**

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

Our partially separated lips caress while the deadly wind weaves its way through our connected figures. I had been so angry at her for leaving me alone in this shitty town; now I'm practically begging her to leave me again. '_Screw the storm, screw Arcadia... I waited so long for her but now that she's here... fuck this bullshit. Why can't I just stay here with my Maximo? Why is the world so desperate to get rid of me?_'. I remove myself from her warmth before I develop another vice, and remind myself of what she has been through for my stupid ass. I know she has to do this. I know the guilt would be too much for her if I stay.

"I'll always love you... Now, get out of here, please! Do it before I freak." I say, turning away before she sees my tears. I try not to make this too difficult for her, she can not change her mind on what she's about to do. More parting words form on my lips when I hear the sudden sound of silence, followed by a dull thud. I turn back towards Max and find nothing; she has vanished along with the storm. The only evidence left of the storm are the clouds and the branches littering the floor.

'_What the fuck..._' I feel nauseous from the abrupt change in surroundings '_is this how Max feels when she jumps? Did I travel back somehow?_' but before I lose it I see a figure lying motionless by the cliff's edge. I feel a knot tighten in my stomach when I recognise her clothing. "Max!" I shout as I run towards her, the trembling in my voice audible. As I get closer I can see that her face and shirt are both scarlet red; soaked in blood. The knot in my stomach twists and wrenches up to my chest just as I fall to my knees beside her. I feel tears flowing fully down my cheeks before I notice her breathing. "Max!" I shout to her, fully hoping that she'll just wake up and be fine. '_Please Max, wake up! Show me that beautiful smile and then let's just continue our lives and be happy.' _I am holding her now, burying my face into her shoulder_ 'No, the world always has some other fucking plan... why didn't you just let me go, why do you keep doing this to yourself Max? I'm the last person that's worth this_' The thoughts of self-doubt and blame whisper through me while I continue trying to wake her up.

"Stay with me Max, please!" In my desperation to help I put my arms under her knees and back and lift her up. She is a little heavier than I imagined but still light enough to carry this way. I start to run down the trail to my... '_Shit, where did I park the beast?_' In the recent panic I had forgot that the truck was not parked near the lighthouse; we had parked down by the beach when we were checking out the storm. I stop in my tracks and finally take a moment to think about what the best thing for Max is. "Ok Chloe... what's the plan here? Carry her all the way to the hospital?" I look down at her sweet and innocent face, contrasted by the drying blood, and feel a sinking in my chest.

I curse myself and hope that moving her hasn't hurt her in some way. As gently as I can, I place her back down on the floor and sit with her, pulling her head into my lap. I pull my old phone out of my pocket and dial 911 while the other hand gently strokes through her soft brown hair.

"I've got you Max... I've got you."

* * *

**JAY**

* * *

It was a relatively quiet evening at the hospital. Jay was on triage duty yet he could not tear himself away from the local news being displayed on the small TV in the waiting area. There was no sound to accompany the shocking text scrolling along the bottom of the screen.

**"TEACHER'S HORRORS UNCOVERED BY LOCAL HERO"**  
**"SICK TEEN CONFESSES TO HIGH SCHOOL MURDER"**  
**"EXPERTS BAFFLED BY VANISHING STORM"**

Above the text there were various looping clips of police vehicles surrounding cordoned off barns and school dormitories; of Sean Prescott being hounded by the flashing lights of journalists as he is escorted to his car; and of various amateur videos of vanishing storms, all looking like some CGI effect. It all seemed unreal to Jay, yet oddly provided a fitting end to a bizarre week of strong winds, dead birds and warm snow. Jay had spent most of his day off yesterday watching the latest news. A lot of the focus had been on the unusual winds and if there was any relation to or between the other phenomena. Jay had originally laughed during a panel, when one poor scientist was sincerely asked if it was all a sign of the end times. '_Judging by these headlines, maybe he was right after all_.' Jay was thinking, just before his attention was redirected to the slam of the doors at the other end of the room.

Jay stood up from his plastic chair and watched the two paramedics quickly approach, both of them pushing a trolley that held a young brown-haired girl. Behind them he saw a tall blue-haired punk with puffy red eyes. When they got within arms reach, Jay started to prod at the young girl, checking her vitals and listening to a brief report from the accompanying medics.

"Female, 18 years old, unresponsive but stable vitals, unconscious for less than an hour, excessive blood loss due to epistaxis, no visible reason." The paramedic briefly listed everything he needed to know at this stage.

"Is she going to be okay?" Jay heard the voice from the back of the group. The young girl clearly looked distraught at seeing her friend in this situation.

Before giving her a proper answer, he nodded at one of the nurses behind the front desk, turned to the paramedics and directed them to one of the empty rooms down the hall. Fortunately it had been a quiet night. '_Well, here at least_,' he thought, having flashbacks to the text and images on tonight's local news. One of the nurses handed him a clipboard and pen.

Turning towards the blue-haired girl he now answered her. "I can't make any guarantees like that... but the good news is that she is stable. Once she's transferred to a room, a doctor will see to her and we can update you if anything changes."

"I can't go in with her?" was the response he'd heard almost on a daily basis.

"Are you related to... sorry, I did not catch her name?"

"Max... Max Caulfield. We're uhh... cousins... our moms are sisters." He'd heard lies like that many times before as well, but he didn't mind breaking the rules a bit when it was clear how much one mattered to the other.

"Well... we're supposed to only let immediate family visit outside of hours but I'm sure it won't be an issue. We can't let anybody in yet though until we have a Doctor examine her," he reassured her. "In the meantime, maybe you can start filling in these patient details..." he passed her the clipboard and motioned her to sit down. The young girl, lacking any fight, took the clipboard and sat down.

Jay walked backed to the area where he was originally sitting and scanned his badge at the nearby coffee machine. Jay had greatly valued one of the few benefits of working night shifts in this hospital - the free coffee. He punched the buttons needed for two cups of black coffee and brought them back to the sitting girl. The clipboard was untouched by her side while she sat with her head in her hands, quietly weeping.

Jay sat down next to her and offered one of the cups. "It can be difficult, I know, but she's in good hands. We'll do what we can to treat your cousin."

"I know you will..." came her response, surprising Jay a little. She looked up from her hands at the offered cup and took it, whispering a thank you. "I've been here before and you guys did a hella job fixing up an old... friend, of mine." The pause had been tangible, Jay suspected there was more to the story but didn't pursue it. "It's just... both times it had my fault that they ended up here, I'm such a fuck up. I wish... I wish I could stop the people I love fromgetting hurt."

'_Oh boy_,' Jay was not expecting this kind of talk so suddenly. Clearly this girl was accustomed to expressing her thoughts out loud without much care. "Are you saying you caused Max's injuries?" Jay was a little sceptical, but had to ask for the safety of the patient.

"No!" The response was immediate and the girl looked shocked for even being asked the question. "No way! I'd never hurt my Maximillion. It's just..." another tangible pause hung in the air "it's hard to explain. We were by the lighthouse when the storm started. Things got a little... heated between us, I turned around and when I turned back she was lying on the floor, unconscious with all that blood. It was awful seeing her like that and I wish I could have prevented.. whatever happened to her."

When you work for many years as a nurse and dealing with patients, you tend to learn how to spot lies and half-truths. Jay sensed from the pauses that there were some deeper, unspoken parts to the story. From the young girl's description of events it seemed likely that Max had suffered head trauma, possibly hit by some high speed object, propelled by the storm. However, during his initial diagnosis of the patient he could not see or feel any other head injury. The next likely cause would be contaminated drugs or an overdose but the patient lacked many of the other symptoms for that, hence why she is not undergoing an immediate stomach pump. Jay decided that he should probe further anyway, just to be sure. "Look... umm..."

"Chloe" the blue haired girl replied.

"Chloe. In order to find out what is wrong with your cousin, I need to know if she has taken any illegal substances in the past few hours?"

"No! Max would never do anything like that!"

"I'm not accusing you or Max of anything here Chloe and I wouldn't report it to the police... but if she has taken anything it's extremely important for me to know, okay?" The response was more or less the same, the young girl was adamant that no drugs were involved even though she herself smelt heavily of marijuana. Jay decided he should leave the girl alone and order some extra blood tests for the patient, just to be sure there were no drugs involved. Jay could tell he wasn't going to get any more information out of her at this point anyway. "Ok, I'm going to check on Max now. In the mean time please fill out what you can of the form and, if it's possible, you could contact her immediate family? If that is not possible or you'd rather not speak to them, please pass their details to the receptionist over there and they will take care of it." Jay had stood up mid through speaking and looked down at Chloe. She looked up to him now and thanked Jay. "As soon as there is any change I will update you."

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

I am sat on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room, with one leg resting on the other and a clipboard leaning on my raised thigh. Staring at the questions on the paper in front of me, I realize just how much of her life I have missed. '_Is this the first time you've been in a hospital Max, or did you get into some hella crazy accident in the past few years?_' I suddenly remember when we were kids and Max had to be rushed to ER after swallowing a button, '_you're such a goof Max_', but maybe it's not so important here. '_I don't think people randomly develop allergies... but I'd better leave it blank_. _Any other symptoms or recent trauma? How the hell do I even begin to answer that..._' My mind inevitably wanders away from the questions on the clipboard and instead to her life in Seattle. '_Did you find love in Seattle, Max? Would you have messed with time for him? Or her?_' I start to imagine Max together with another another woman but the memory of the earlier kiss comes back to me, filling my chest with a warm fuzz before I completely lose myself. '_I hope you wake up soon Max, because we have a lot to catch up on._'

Flashes from the nearby TV try to divert my attention away from the board in front of me but I do my best to ignore it. I know it's showing the local news, I saw a glimpse of it when we brought Max in and back then it was difficult to suppress my anger. It's probably showing flashes of Mr. Jefferson being put in a police car. Max didn't say much about what happened with him so I can only assume the worst. '_I wish I could have saved her, or done something to stop him. Fuck I keep dying whilst Max keeps saving everybody, I feel so useless_.' Maybe it's showing pictures of David... '_Shit, I need to phone Joyce_.' I take my phone out of my pocket, ignore the messages and phone her. '_I hope she still has their number._'

The phone only range twice before it was picked up on the other end. "Chloe? I'm so glad you're okay! You need to text me when crazy stuff like this is going on... Chloe? Chloe, is everything okay?"

I feel more tears starting to form as I remember Max lying there motionless, covered in blood. "...it's Max. She's hurt. She's hurt and it's all my fault." The self-blame starts to creep back in.

"Chloe... I'm sure that's not true. I know you'd never hurt Max. Where are you?" she responds. She has no idea what I have done to Max, or what Max has done for me, and I'm not sure it's possible to even explain.

"Fuck, Mom. If she'd stayed in Seattle, away from me she wouldn't be in this shitty situation." I lower my head and cup it in my free hand. I sigh when there is no response from the other end and continue, "we're at the hospital, she's... she's unconscious and waiting for a doctor to see her."

"Chloe Elizabeth Price. Please tell me you didn't drag our sweet Max along to meet your dealer" Her response hurts but I deserve it. I never learn from past mistakes. I did take Max to see Frank but I can't tell her that, or how it is actually irrelevant.

"No... no... she was hurt in the storm. I think."

"You think?"

"I mean, yes, she was hurt in the storm. I didn't see it but it's the only explanation." I lie slightly. I know her injury is related to the storm but I have no idea how, or how it suddenly vanished leaving her on the floor. I can make guesses but they're not the sort you reason through with your mother and expect her to think you're sane by the end of it.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll let David know too but I don't know if he can get time away tonight with everything going on."

I knew he'd be mentioned at some point, even though this is fucking about Max. I feel angry but I swallow it when I remember her. "Uhh... that's okay. Do you... do you still have Max' parent's number?"

"I haven't heard from them in years but it might still be the same number..."

"So it runs in the family." '_Why do I say this shit? She's lying unconscious in a hospital right now because of me._' Instead of continually berating myself, I instead think about what I would even say to Ryan or Vanessa if I phoned them. '_How can I tell another set of parents that their daughter is in the hospital because of my dumb ass? How can I stay calm talking to the people who took Max away from me? Fuck..._' after a few seconds I hear Joyce's voice continue through the phone "would you like me to phone them hun?"

"Uhh... could you?" I felt pathetic for letting Joyce do it but I know I couldn't deal with it right now. "It'd probably be better coming from you anyway... I gotta go now, I'll see you soon." I hung up the phone before I got a response and tried to focus on filling in the rest of the form. The mental image of a hurt Max would not leave my head. I started to cry again.


	3. Cosmic Cycles

There is no light. No sound. No heat.

I can not say how long I have been floating through the void. I do not understand what I am or how I came to be here. However, when I concentrate I can recall jumbled memories of piercing winds, of life within a shell, and of a radiant blue streak dancing to an unknown beat. I feel a strong connection to that shade of blue; I recognise its importance but I can not remember why. I search around me for physical evidence of these memories and find nothing, I am alone within this maddening absence.

A light suddenly appears before me.

In its waking moments, the source is tiny yet the light it emits is terrifyingly bright. The light conjures another vague memory of a flash within a dark room; it feels like the light has hurt me previously in the past and I instinctively try to hide away. The effort is wasted however as, in those brief moments of reflection, the light had expanded rapidly and completely engulfed me. I now watch as the source continues to expand, whilst the light it emits becomes dimmer and dimmer.

The surrounding light continues to fade but I now notice other sources; each of them tiny and flicker briefly in and out of being. I look closer and observe something new to the void - something physical. The flickers of light reveal themselves to be tiny particles of dust reflecting the ambient light back towards me. Due to the ever dimming light around me it becomes harder and harder to observe the dust, but nevertheless I watch as each particle moves seemingly randomly amongst its brethren. With difficulty I watch a number of particles merge together to form bigger clumps which, in turn, merge and swallow the dust surrounding them.

The original light has entirely faded now but, in doing so, has revealed a canvas of light sources dotted all along the black periphery, each tiny point varying in colour and size. The total light they emit is nothing compared to the original source but I am at least able to make out the silhouette of the enormous mass that has formed before me. The size difference between the original particles of dust, and the result of their agglomeration is staggering. I float in awe and watch as the mass in front of me contracts then ignites into an enormous globe of light and fire.

I turn away from the blinding light and notice that other, smaller masses have now been illuminated in the distance. As soon as I gain sight of one particular mass I find myself unable to turn away from it. I do not recognise nor can I distinguish it from the other floating masses but the sight of it fills me with a sense of belonging. Whilst I stare at the mass I notice the distance between us begin to shrink. I can not tell whether I am being dragged towards the mass, or it to me. As it gets closer I observe it rapidly undergoing changes. When I first caught sight of the mass it was a mix of red and black moving blobs but now it is mostly a happy blue with one large stain of grey. The grey mass then becomes green and tears itself into smaller splotches. The top and bottom of the globe rapidly alternate between the happy blue and a sterile white.

I am now close enough to the mass to see it all in its glory. I can see peaks with white tips jutting into the sky and the blue seas extending their thin tendrils into the landmass. I descend further down to the surface and observe a blur of animals; always changing and diverging. Through their offspring, some of the animals develop new legs or horns whilst others scutter back into the sea, but most of the lineages come to a dead end, never to be seen again. The landmasses move across the globe while I descend further to the surface. I watch as some of the hairy animals gather near the rivers edge and build shelters out of mud and grass. Life on the surface continues to evolve rapidly. The animals lose their body hair and replace it with cloth; they develop music, art and math; they invent greater ways to fight their constant tribal war. The shelters morph just as quickly as they do; from mud to clay to wood, and eventually into giant glass structures piercing into the sky above me.

The surface life slows down significantly to a point where I can now make out the movements of every individual animal. I feel different, I feel heavy, I... feel. I look down and see that I now have a body. I find that its functions come naturally to me, as if I have been in this state before. I flap my vibrant blue wings to keep myself in the air and head towards one of the structures. I approach an open window and find myself drawn to the sounds I hear from within.

"Don't let that Chase-bitch get to you."

"I know... I just don't want to get involved in any drama."

I plant all six of my legs on the window ledge and look into the room. Inside I see bare walls surrounding a lot of boxes and one lone plant. On the other side of the room there are two standing figures underneath an open doorway. One of them has their back to me and blocks the view of the second figure. The one I can see has fuzzy brown hair down to her neck and she's wearing a gray jacket. I feel like I recognise her but I can not remember. I occasionally make out some of the noises of they make, like 'photo', 'blackwell' and 'hella' but the rest of their communication passes through me like random noise.

"Anyway... Trevor and I are going to head to the roof to hit one up, you're welcome to partake." The noise comes from the obscured figure.

"Uhh... hit one up?"

"Oh gosh you're adorable. You know..." The other figure remains obscured but I see movement beyond the brown haired girl.

"Ohhhh," comes the response "no, no... I stay away from that kind of stuff."

"You are so cute. I will see you around school then!"

"Sure! Or maybe we could hang out later?"

"No can do mon ami. I still live with my parents and my mom will kill me if I'm caught here past curfew again."

"Oh... okay. Well I hope we can catch up soon. Thanks again for helping with Victoria."

"If she gives you any more hassle just let me know. I gotta fly so I'll catch you later Max. Oh, and welcome to Blackwell!"

"You too C..."

Suddenly the two figures vanish along with the boxes in the room. I try to take flight but I find I am once again without a body. The flow of life resumes its fast flowing pace around me. Inside the room I watch bursts of life; its contents ever-changing and its range of occupants laughing, crying, shouting and kissing. Eventually these bursts stop and the room remains vacant. After some time the buildings near me collapse and machines take away their corpses, only to replace them with bigger structures made of glass.

I move further away from the ground and observe the flow of life once more; in time the movement of the structures comes to a slow crawl and stops, like a dying animal. The wildlife overtakes them but they too eventually cease their movements. The beautiful greens and blues I experienced earlier fade away into multiple shades of gray.

Far away from the surface now I look back towards the giant ball of light and watch it rapidly expand, swallowing me whole, and morph from its original yellow into a dark shade of red. Almost as rapidly, it contracts into a white mass no bigger than the one I had just visited. The small points of light I observed earlier are fewer in number now and, as I float aimlessly on, they continue to disappear one by one along with the small white mass before me.

In time, I am surrounded by complete darkness. There is no light, no sound, no heat.

A light suddenly appears before me. Everything happens as it did before; the intense light expands and dims, dust forms around me and coalesces into enormous masses, the central mass ignites and others cool down. I descend down on to one of them, a blue-green mass, and I once again observe its graceful flow of life.

When I am closer to the surface I discover that I have a body again; with blue wings to help me I flutter around and land on something soft. I look down to see and feel the brown hair under my thin legs. I hear sounds behind me, "you bet I do!" I still do not recognise the words they form but the sound fills me with a sense of familiarity. I turn to the origin of the noise and see a young woman with strawberry blonde hair. I hear more words to my side but I ignore them as I am unable to take my eyes away from the radiance in front of me.

"And do you, Maxine Caulfield take..." the sounds fly over me as I am enraptured by the figure standing before me. I am lost in the curves of her face and the colour of her eyes. It is not visible but it feels like she emits a light unlike any I have observed previously. I have witnessed the very heavens birth the brightest of stars and yet, the light I feel is far more radiant. It fills the deepest parts of me with a warmth that I can not explain.

Before I know it she is gone, as is my body. Her absence is immediately felt and the lights around me seem duller now. I linger and aimlessly watch until the flow of life ceases, until the brightest star expands and collapses, and until each point of light fades away completely.

The cosmic cycle of birth and death repeats itself over and over again. I observe small differences between each cycle; from different shaped land masses to alternate styles of buildings or even previously unseen forms of life. In each cycle I find myself in a blue winged body and take a brief rest. After so many cycles it seems unlikely to be a coincidence when, each time, I rest near two figures. They may sometimes wear different hair, skin or scars but I always recognise one of them from her welcoming invisible light. I wish I knew more about this radiant figure who fills my soul.

Another cycle begins but something feels different. The edges somehow feel worn and stretched out.

From the beginning, when the dust merges together, I notice things that have not happened before. I watch some clumps of dust spontaneously disappear, or randomly change position.

The masses form without incident but the flow of life is strange to me. In every cycle I have witnessed before, the flow is smooth - it evolves gradually with grace. In this cycle the flow is sudden and jagged; some animals appear from nothing whilst others disappear as suddenly. When the structures form and I find myself back in my winged body, I fly down to one and through another open window. The room itself is damp and cold but something catches my eye in the corner. I fly over to it and land on its cold metal edge. I look down into it and see my reflection staring back at me from the dirty water below me. It is not the first time that I start to question who I am or why I am here, but this object and the room its in seem very familiar to me.

There is another flash of light around me. I instinctively fly away and land on something nearby; it is white and smooth. The flash had reminded me of the first light I saw back in the first cosmic cycle, at the start of all of this. Back then I had felt afraid of... pain? Of a dark room? I hear sounds around me but I do not pay attention while I wonder about these connections and my origins.

A loud bang echoes around the room.

I look around and my world darkens. There is the figure I have seen countless times before. I recognise her face from a number of cycles but the light I cherished is gone. Instead she is lying on the ground, unmoving while a red patch expands below her.

Without her light I am filled with an unbearable void. The event triggers something in me; memories of her start to come to me, in a drip at first. I see broken images of this room and her motionless figure but from a different perspective, with different eyes. The memories flow to me but I notice changes around me. The flow of wildlife continues on its random, jutting journey. There are some areas where random flocks perish or disappear altogether, only to reappear later. Time itself flows backwards and forwards again; it is the first time I have observed this phenomena yet it feels familiar. New memories come back to me, fragmented images of recklessly toying with time. I continue to watch as parts of continents die whilst others flourish. Suddenly, the Earth below me is gone. The stars die out one by one until none remain, as they have done many times before. At the very end, when all is dark, the Earth blinks into existence again and gently fades away.

I await the beginning of the next cycle. I look forward to seeing the radiant woman again.

Only, there are no more cycles. No more time.

I float around and for the first time I start to feel tired. Though I am intangible I feel like I have reached my end. I think on what I have seen. I fondly remember the woman again, and recall moments I have shared with her in the past. Not as a the winged creature I was familiar with... but as something else, something bigger. Yet, the name of the woman remained out of reach of my memories.

I hear a voice surround me, filling me with a familiar warmth.

"Max... " the sounds are infrequent but I now recognise the words they form '_Max? I have heard that word before_' "... brain ... killing me ..." those words fill me with a dread as I remember her lying on the tiled floor. I have other visions of her lying motionless and bloodied on train tracks and junkyard floors. "... sleeping ... hella ... life ... Caulfield ..." '_I am... Max Caulfield?_' More memories come back to me, including hazy recollections of photographing... myself? "... hurt ... kiss ..." I remember a dare with an amazing outcome, rewinding to repeat again and again. "wake up" '_I'm... asleep?_' " ... Max ... I love you ... please ... Max ..."

"K..." the thought echoes through me, louder than self-reflection.

"Max?"

"Chl..." the memory of her name comes to me at last.

"NURSE!"

"Chloe!" I open my eyes and I am once again engulfed by a radiant light.

* * *

**A/N: I had to take some artistic license with the science here in order to avoid a huge chapter, but I hope that it reads well and is understandable.**


	4. Waiting Game

**FRIDAY**

* * *

"... a predatory teacher, teenage suicide and freak weather phenomena. It sounds like the plot of the next Hollywood blockbuster, but it is very real and it's all happening in a small Oregon town known as Arcadia Bay. We join our local correspondent, Jane Swinson, who is now live at the scene. Jane, what can you..."

The sounds and images coming from the small TV abruptly change when I click a button on the controller.

"...the identity of the body found in the junkyard has not yet been confirmed by authorities, but we have received unofficial reports..."

*click*

"...currently being held by Arcadia's police force. The evidence against Mr Jeffer..."

*CLICK*

"...is with me now, who is said to be instrumental in finding and capturing Arcadia Bay's most dangerous, and has been here all day assisting the authorities with their investigation. Mr Madsen, could you describe the events of last night?"

The image cuts to a portrait of step-douche, standing straight and proud of himself. In the background I can see uniformed police coming in and out of the barn where Max and I found the bunker.

"Certainly, I... had been suspicious of Mark" '_and everyone else_,' I add "for a while but I had no evidence until last night, when I received a tip off about this bunker. I pulled in some favors and visited in force." I watch step-douche go on. "It was a good thing we got here when we did, as it looked like Mr Jefferson was packing up his evidence."

"His _evidence_?" the reporter asks off-screen.

"I guess I shouldn't say much about it, but it is lucky for us that he has such an enormous ego; he kept meticulous records and photographs of his... wrongdoings."

"What was it like, down there?"

"The place is creepy, it's like a mix between a photo studio and a dentists office. I have served my country, with great pride, and I am used to walking in to dangerous or unusual situations, you know the type, when the hair on the back of your neck stands up and you feel like something's wrong. That's how I felt last night going down those stairs."

"Mr Madsen, you are no doubt a hero to many here in Arcadia Bay..." '_bleurgh_' I mentally vomit and turn the TV off. It was supposed to be a distraction but the fucked up events are all over the network, serving as a constant reminder of everything my tiny little Max has had to go through. I hold her hand now and look at her. She seems so small and frail lying there, hooked up to these machines and bags of fluids, but I know how strong Max really is. She looks so... cute. '_Where did that come from_?' I think as I continue to stare at her freckles and soft lips... '_Stop it Chloe, she's your best friend!_' I snap out of it and look away, giving her hand a squeeze as I recall the events of the evening.

I had only been sat in the waiting room for half an hour before Joyce turned up. We both cried and held each other, quickly forgetting how I'd hurt her over the past few days. '_I guess that's what mothers do,_' I muse. After we we were drained, had coffee, cried again and sat in silence for a while, the nurse returned and informed us of the doc's diagnosis.

A coma.

I had to cry again. I didn't ask how long the coma would last; I don't think he could have answered anyway. Joyce tried to convince me to go back home, to shower, eat and rest. Looking back, she didn't try very hard. I guess she knew I'd never say no, I'd never leave Max '_like she left you... _' I mentally chastise myself for thinking down that avenue again. After Joyce left, the nurse ('_Jay_?') let me stay in Max's room, so long as I agreed to stay clear of any nurses or doctors that visited. It was an easy bargain at the time but sitting here now, it felt like Max was being taken away from me again and I was powerless to stop it. I hold her hand tighter, as if to keep her.

* * *

**SATURDAY**

* * *

My eyes open after some unpleasant dreams of trains and tornadoes. I lift my head from my arms and push myself away from Max's bed '_I suppose it technically was my bed too_' I think to myself. I straighten my back to try and crease out the pains of awkward sleeping and a blanket falls from my shoulders '_Hmm, maybe a nurse put it on me_.' I look at Max and there is sadly no change. She has remained there motionless since last night, as if frozen in time. It is still dark outside so maybe I didn't sleep for long. I check my phone for the time, further ignoring the messages and missed calls in the process.

06:34am

My stomach growls like an angry beast in heat. '_I'd better hunt_...' I stand up and stretch. I feel bad leaving Max but I remind myself that she's safe here and that there's nothing I can do to help right now. I take my phone and head outside into the hallway, closing the door behind me. My heavy boots echo throughout the empty hallway as I travel down to the waiting room where the vending machine stands. Thanks to Joyce I have some spare cash to feed myself, though I'm sure she meant for me to go to the canteen. I buy a variety of junk food and stuff the cash back into my pocket.

'Mm...I can tell you every single thing you have in your pockets...',  
'...Okay, Max, I'm hella ready...',  
'...Amazeballs. I literally just got chills all over my neck. You have powers...'

The memory of that morning comes flooding back to me; from the musty smell of the truckers to Mom's disappointed face. '_It was the first morning I spent with Max in five years... it was the first morning I'd been happy in a long time,_' the corners of my lips form a smile as I recollect the events of that morning. '_Why do I feel sooo... good, whenever I'm around her?_' Then there was the call with Kate, which I guilt-tripped Max into rejecting... only for her to try and end it mere hours later. '_Max would want me to check on her... fuck_... _maybe later,_' I convince myself.

I head back to my place by Max's side and open up a bag of chips, '_Mmm... bacony,_' then decide I should finally look at the messages blowing up my phone. I figure it's best to just start from the top, then regret it when I see who the messages are from.

**douche**  
"Chloe, thank you for trusting me with this. Thanks to you and Max, a very dangerous person is now behind bars. I hope you're both safe."  
Thurs 10:16pm

"Chloe, your mother has informed me of Max's situation, I hope you're doing okay."  
Fri 11:22pm

"Chloe, your mother and I will visit tomorrow. There's something important I need to discuss with you. Stay safe soldier."  
Sat 02:43am

'_Ugh, we can see the stick up your ass even through your messages_.' I'm now dreading his visit, the inevitable argument and his 'important discussion'. His messages don't need a reply and I move on. There aren't many more after that, not many people will have my number... or care. Still there are some surprises from names I haven't thought about in months, either checking to see if I survived the storm or gossiping about the psycho or Blackwell.

I put my phone away, sit back and eat my chips. I am stuck with a tough choice; either I sit in silence or turn the TV on - both will only lead to dark thoughts of the past week.

* * *

I open my eyes when the door to Max's room swings open. '_I must have dozed off again,_' I don't get much chance to think before I realize who has walked through the door. It has been five years but I still recognise the parents of Max - Ryan and Vanessa. Vanessa, with her soccer mom haircut and loose grey cardigan, doesn't acknowledge me and runs to the other side of Max's bed. She lifts up Max's hand to her face and starts to cry.

I feel a range of emotions all competing to burst out of me; anger at them for taking Max away, guilt for hurting their only child, but mostly uncomfortable from being in their way. I don't want to leave Max but I know I'm probably not welcome here, and at least I won't be leaving her alone. I get up to leave, hoping they won't notice me, but it appears their vision is based on movement.

Vanessa only gives me a quick glance before turning back to Max, but Ryan continues to stare. It takes a moment before he realizes who I am.

"Chloe?" he asks.

"I'm surprised you remember." '_Not the right response, idiot_' I cringe a little and try a bit more tact "I mean... I've changed a lot in a few years."

"I can see that... the blue hair really suits you," I just nod at his fake compliment. I can see that he's just trying to be nice but really he just wants to be with his daughter.

"I ummm... will leave you alone for a bit," I say, and start to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" I stop and turn back to look at Ryan, "how did... how did this happen? Your mother said very little to us and the doctor only told us about her situation, do you know what happened to our little girl?"

'_Where to start... The thing is, I was supposed to die alone in a bathroom because I was blackmailing a rich psychotic kid, who ended up being my ex-lovers murderer, because he drugged and possibly tried to rape me. But your daughter, the most fucking amazing woman in the world, undid that and had to fight against the world itself to keep my dumb-ass alive. She went through a literal hell for me, fighting monsters, storms, my anger... fuck... what did I ever do to deserve..._' I realise I am just staring at Ryan who is staring back. I notice his wife also has her attention on me, searching my face for answers.

"I wish I knew," I lie again, '_when did it become so easy?_' "we were chillin by the lighthouse when the storm came. I turned around for just a second and when I turned back she was just lying there. I brought her here as fast as I could."

Ryan nods and thanks me for taking care of his daughter. I'm not sure if he really believes me but I wasn't exactly dishonest in my answer. Silence follows my explanation and I take it as a cue to leave the room. I really hate leaving Max but if I stay in there I think I'll end up making enemies of her parents. I take my phone out of my pocket and look at the time.

10:53am

'_How do I kill the time until I can be with Maximo again?_' I look down the hallway and notice two police officers leaving one of the rooms. I don't recognise them when they walk past me, nor do they seem to recognise me, so I guess they must be from out of town. I look back at the room they left and recall another memory from the past few days.

'I'm so glad I get to see her again. I hope it's not too weird for her.'  
'No, she'll be stoked to see you. Who wouldn't be?'  
'...I stopped you from being her friend. But you saved her... like me.'  
'She's still Kate Marsh. Thank God.'

'_I meant what I said as well, who wouldn't be stoked to see my little Max? She's just... perfect.' _I remember how nervous Max had appeared in this hallway but I never understood why; she saved Kate's life... and mine... and everybody else's here. I think about how many times I must have seen her anxious in the past week, usually because I'd done something dumb and hurt myself. '_It's hard to argue with the evidence; Max really does care about me..._' My thoughts come back around to Kate. '_I can't put this off anymore... Max would want to check on her and I guess I do owe her an apology_' I think as I walk down the hallway to Kate's room. I stop in front and knock a little tune into the door.

"Come in," the voice is soft and sweet. I walk into the room and I see Kate for the first time. I am immediately confused as to how anyone could hurt someone so saintly; I imagine a halo circling her perfectly neat hair, highlighting her gentle smile. '_People can be so shit_' I realize again that I am staring when I hear her ask "may I help you?"

"I'm Chloe... I'm a friend of Max."

"Ah! A friend of Max is a friend of mine," she says, beaming. "please come and sit..."

"Oohhh, did you draw these?" I cut her off when I notice her drawings, "they're so cute!" I hear her giggle a little, it is sweet to hear, but I am genuinely impressed. "I admit it's not my usual style but maybe I could get this as my next tatt!" and hold up one of her teddy bear drawings, "mmm, maybe with one eye though."

"Haha, what?" She is both amused and confused.

"Never mind that now, how are you holding up?" I smile back and take the seat next to her.

"I'm okay..." I can see the amusement fade away leaving only the confusion "is... Max not with you?"

"She's down the hall... in a bed like this." The mood darkens a little, my smile fades as my efforts to be jovial are short-lived.

"What? Is she okay?" Her expression changes from confusion to concern.

"She's..." the words form a lump in my throat that I find difficult to push out. "She's... in a coma." I feel the tears start to well up in the corners of my eye. The gentle girl raises a hand to her mouth in shock and asks how, but I can't bring myself to lie to her. So I shrug my shoulders, afraid of what would come out of my mouth if I were to say anything. She sees how reluctant I am to talk about it and instead changes the topic. We talk about other things for a short while, it feels nice to have a normal discussion that doesn't descend into a shouting match. I feel guilty for taking up so much time of this person I've just met and make my excuses to leave.

"I hope Max will be okay," Kate adds just as I am moving to stand.

"I know she will," my ass had only moved an inch from the seat before I sit back down and reply, "she might not look it but she's one of the strongest people I've known." Kate nods along, agreeing with me. I suppose we're both aware of what Max is like and what she's capable of doing... without the superpowers. '_I wonder if Kate also feels that spark when she sees Max smile_' "It's just... she doesn't deserve this, you know. I wish I could help her. I wish I could undo this like she..." '_Shit, undo that statement idiot_', "... she saved my life."

"Mine too," the small girl is quick to reply.

'_Something we all have in common_,' I think before replying "I feel so helpless that I can't do anything to save her."

"Max was... She was looking out for me when nobody else was, not even my Mom. Max was there for me when I needed her most - when I was at my most vulnerable. That's how she saved my life Chloe; not through grand heroics or crazy action scenes. Sometimes all you need to do to save a life, is to just be there for them."

I see her comforting logic and nod but it doesn't entirely diminish my helpless frustration. "I will be there for her. Always, always" I say firmly, more to myself than to Kate. There is a moment of silence before I think about leaving again but the recent conversation has re-ignited a guilt in me that I need to fix. "Kate..." I start.

She looks up at me again with her comforting smile.

"Kate, I need to..." '_Fuck, how do people do this?_' "I want to say sorry."

Another look of confusion forms on her face, "what for?" she asks me.

"When you phoned Max that morning..." '_God damn, how is this so difficult?_' "I don't know what she told you, but she didn't answer because of me. I was being so fucking selfish and I was giving her a hell of a guilt-trip. I'm so sorry Kate."

I hear her giggle and I look at her smiling face, it's not the response I was expecting. "I appreciate your sincerity but I didn't... do what I did because of a missed phone call Chloe. Please don't kick yourself over me..." I am relieved by her explanation and I feel like an idiot for worrying so much "... but please don't swear so much, okay?"

I laugh, for what feels like the first time this year, and tell her I'll cut down on the swearing next time I visit. She appears quite happy at the offer of talking again. I finally say my goodbyes and leave her with her drawings. Before I head back to Max's room I raid the vending machine for more snacks but just as I am about to open the door into her room I hear Max's parents talking. I decide it's best not to interfere and instead sit my ass down on one of the chairs outside of her room. '_I can wait for her here._' I think, as I open up another packet of bacon flavoured chips.

* * *

It's late afternoon when Joyce and... _that guy_... show up. I stand up to hug her and she asks how I'm doing. I only give a grunt in response.

"How is Max doing?" she breaks the hug to look at me.

"No change," I say with sadness in my voice. I nod my head towards Max's room and continue "Ryan and Vanessa are here though." I had been sat in the hallway for hours and neither one of Max's parents had come out of her room. I selfishly wanted them to leave, to go back to Seattle and leave Max here, but I know I'm being unrealistic. I know Max would prefer to see her parents when she wakes up, instead of me.

"Ohhh I should go and say hello to them, it's been a few years since we spoke... I just wish it was under better circumstances," Joyce replies. "Here, I would guess you've been pretty bored in here so I raided your room." With that, she pulls my old Nintendo DS out of her handbag along with another $30 for food. I am about to make a sarcastic comment on how I haven't even touched that thing in years, and would have much preferred my secret baggie, but I manage to stop myself in time and appreciate the sentiment. '_I think Max has rubbed me off... Uhh... rubbed off on me._'

"Thanks... Mom" I reply and accept her treasure hoard.

"It's no trouble sweetie," she looks me in the eyes as she rubs my arms with her hands. "I'm going to check in with the Caulfields... I think David is itching to speak to you." She leans further in and whispers in to my ear "please be nice, he's only looking out for us."

The door opens and closes behind me, leaving me and step-douche in the hallway outside Max's room. '_Ugh, just me and the dickhole. Wake up Max and save me from this torture!_'.

"Chloe... I'm sorry"

"What?!" I am taken aback. I wasn't expecting that.

"I said I'm sorry..." I am still in shock and stand there motionless. He takes the silence as a cue to continue, "I'm sorry for the cameras. I know there isn't a lot of trust between us, and that's something else I should maybe say sorry for, but they weren't there to spy on either you or Joyce."

"Bullshit!" I snap back, "they were all over the house. If you weren't spying on us then who?"

"I know that's how it looks but... when your friend disappeared, I became paranoid that the same thing could happen to either you or Joyce; to the two people I care about." I am reminded of Max's desperate plea outside of the Blackwell party, in part trying to calm me down and convince me that the man in front of me cared about me. '_Not even Rachel had such a calming effect on me..._'

'Chloe, no matter how much of a douche he's been, David truly cares about you.'  
'Oh, please... like he cared when he got in your face for smoking a joint?'  
'You should have seen his reaction when I told him that Jefferson… killed you. He was crushed.'

He motions for me to sit back down on the chair. He follows me but stops for a moment, thinks and sits down further away leaving one chair between us. It seems that he's consciously leaving a gap in order to make things less awkward, but the way he leans over the empty chair to be heard probably makes it more so. I continue to listen to his explanation. "I just wanted to protect you both but I am sorry... I should have asked you and Joyce first before invading your privacy."

I look down at my hands, it's easier to speak to him like an adult when I'm not looking at him. "I'm guessing you've already said the same to Joyce..."

"I have and I am grateful for her forgiveness... I think part of that was also due to recent events. I don't expect you to forgive me so easily Chloe but how about we try to bury some hatchets here... Maybe we could show each other a little more respect from now on? For your mother's sake..."

I want to shout at him. I want to scream at him, to tell him my Mom wouldn't be going through this shit if they'd never met. He saved Max's life though so I know I have to give him something back. I certainly don't forgive him, not when I think about all the times we've got into arguments or when he had a go at Max, but I recognise that he's trying. I figure I'll give him a chance not to be such a douche, though it pains me to break my stubbornness, "Ok... David."

I don't look but I can imagine a smile, or a sense of relief coming from him.

"That's... thank you, Chloe." There is a moment of silence between us but I notice him fidgeting. He gets up and moves to the seat that was previously separating us. I look at him now and see a concerned expression on his face.

"Dude?" I ask.

"I need to tell you something Chloe... it's about Max." I don't speak and I probably look just as stunned as a few minutes earlier. "I know I shouldn't really talk about this but..." he leans in closer and starts to whisper, I guess he is paranoid that somebody might overhear. "When I was in that shit pit of a bunker I caught sight of a number of folders." I really don't like where this conversation is going and I visibly squirm. I know the folders he's speaking about, the assembled red binders filled with perverse photographs of his victims. I relive the stomach churning of seeing Rachel's posed body and imagine Max in the same situation. David, possibly oblivious to my reaction continues to explain, "they each had names along their spines; each for every one of his victims. Chloe..." There's a pause from him, as though he's trying to carefully word his next sentence, "one of the folders had Max's name on it... " I look up at him now and see a look of concern on his face. "I know this must be difficult and I won't ask for details but is this... is this how you two knew about the bunker?"

The question is too much for me. Max had kept very quiet about what happened to her in the bunker, so all this time I had been imagining the worst. The speculations for the news had not helped either. '_What did he do to my Max? Did he... touch her? How much does she even remember?_' The knot in my stomach continues to tighten as I imagine the sick fuck hurting Max, his sick and dirty hands touching the woman I... my best friend. It finally gets too much for me and I breakdown into tears next to David. Without a single word I had given him his answer.

David attempts to comfort me by placing his hand on my back but I shrug it off and continue to bawl into my lap. After a few minutes I manage to gather myself and try to hide my weaknesses again, though it might be too late for that. '_I have shown the enemy that I can be hurt._'

"I... I feel like a prick for asking this Chloe but time is short right now..."

"What do you mean?" I turn to ask him, who is offering me a tissue. I take it and attempt to dry my face.

"The police spent all day yesterday combing through that bunker, his home and his classroom. They haven't found anything..."

"What about the folders?!" I practically shout at him, "what about Nathan?"

"Please, I know this is difficult but we need to keep our voices down..." I just grunt in confirmation before he continues, "we found Nathan's body but it looks like he killed himself. I know you told me Jefferson killed him but I'm not sure there's proof of that, and he does have a history of mental illness. The folders are another thing - there's no actual evidence in them that can link Jefferson to a crime. My contacts on the force say it would be difficult to convince a Jury that the photos are similar to those he's published in the past, that it's his _style_ when Nathan is... or was, also a competent photographer."

"So you need a witness."

David nods. "and the ones the police have spoken to don't remember what happened to them. All except..."

"She's in a fucking coma!" I bark. I'm angry. I'm fucking livid. "She deserves a break David, and you want to what? Grill her as soon as she wakes up? Have her march up to court and tell an audience how she was abused? Fuck no!" I ended up confirming what David already suspected; that Max had been one of Jefferson's victims. Although not quite - would the court accept actions performed in an alternative timeline?

I storm off, leaving David to sit by himself, and head outside for the first time today. I find my way to a smoking area and bum a well earned cig off another patient.

* * *

**MONDAY**

* * *

"... well yes, the phenomena have been overlooked for the past few days for obvious reasons, and I do sympathise with those that are affected by these events. However, I don't think we should ignore these disturbing omens for much longer..."

*click*

"...arrived in Portland Jail earlier today to await trial. The father of the teen who took his own life, Sean Prescott, had been held for questioning on Saturday in regards to the role he played in these affairs, but has consistently claimed his ignorance of the bunker..."

*click*

"...we have decided to call this type of phenomenon a _Ferro_-_cadia Storm_. That is to say, our current hypothesis is based upon our planet's magnetic field. You and your viewers may be aware that, at the centre of our planet, there's a large mass of molten iron that creates this huge magnetic field surrounding our planet. So far it has protected us from stellar radiation and dust. However, we were notified earlier in the week of unusual magnetic readings in that area of the US, which would explain a couple of things. Firstly, it's become a hot topic of recent research that birds can navigate due to a tiny... quantum compass in their brains that lets them read the magnetic fields around them." The main speaker looks to be middle aged man with a crumpled checkered shirt and a hipster-style beard, the host isn't offering much to the conversation besides nods and murmers of 'that's fascinating'. "So if the Earth's magnetic field were to suddenly change, it could greatly disorient a great many birds and send them flying into buildings or telephone poles."

"Do you know what could lead to such a sudden change?" The host asks.

"Umm... that is still something we're working on. Magnetic fields, especially on such a scale, can be difficult to predict." '_Bullshit, they have no idea!_" "Now I'm unaware of whale biology but it could be possible that they share a similar form of navigation to aid them across the vast empty oceans... if they do, it could explain their mass beachings during the previous week."

"That is interesting Dr Seddon, but what about the solar eclipse, warm snowfall and dual moons that many witnesses claim to have seen?"

"Well... I don't want this to come across the wrong way but... we are only dealing with the facts that we have at the moment. It's true that we've been sent a number of videos of these strange occurrences, but videos can easily be faked in this modern age. I think it is far more likely that the viewers suffered some form of mass hallucination, perhaps brought on by the aforementioned shift?"

I was really starting to hate this guy for discrediting everyone I knew.

"Ok... even if that's true, we're avoiding the elephant in the room here..."

"Ah... yes, the storm itself."

"Right, how does your theory hold up on disappearing storms?"

"Well as I said earlier, we believe... sorry, we hypothesise that the shift in magnetic fields caused a greater influx of solar born radiation, causing a very localized heating in the Pacific. The abrupt heating could create a huge temperature gradient which can lead to intense winds, like we recorded for the whole of last week, and even a storm..."

"Hmm, I could believe that, but how does it explain the disappearance?"

"Umm... well... you see... " Clearly he was struggling with this part. "We... are clearly in the early stages of research and some significant experimental campaigns and intense simulations have to be produced before we can confirm anything as such. Still, it is the best hypothesis we have thus far and it is the area where we will focus..."

I sigh and turn the TV off. They have absolutely no idea what any of this means or how it happened. '_So much for getting help for Max, how could they even understand why or how she is capable of what she does_'. I look away from the TV and over to Max, it doesn't look like she has moved at all. I once again lose myself in counting her freckles and I fight the urge to just climb on to the bed beside her and hold her tight. '_I don't think the nurses would like that,_' I kick myself for suddenly being obedient, but I know I'm only allowed here by their grace.

I have been in this hospital for days now, only occasionally skipping outside to take a drag. I didn't see much of Max over the weekend; her parents remained in her room for much of it. Fortunately, they have a bit more sense than me and only come during visiting hours. So we played a sort of dance; during the day they would visit Max in her room while I waited outside in the hallway. In the evening they accepted Mom's generosity and spent the night at my house, while I slept in Max's room. I didn't speak much to them and, quite honestly, made an effort to avoid them. I was still bitter about them taking Max away at the worst possible time, and I didn't want them to ask any more questions about the past week.

My phone vibrates for the second time in the past ten minutes. I take it out of my pocket, looking for a cure to my boredom. I had initially been bemused at Joyce's gesture, but my old DS ended up being my saviour in this place.

**frank**  
"u there chloe?"  
9:12pm

"we need to talk"  
9:18pm

"Damn it Frank, always about your money!" I say to my phone before putting it away. There's no reason not to give Frank some of the money Max and I... _found_ in Principle Dick's office, but I'd rather not be dealing with him right now.

* * *

**TUESDAY**

* * *

7:03am

The time stares back at me as I look at my phone. The door to Max's room opens, '_it's a little early for her parents..._' I wonder as I start to pack my few things to leave. I look up at the door and see a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair, sporting a white doctor's coat.

"Oh, hello! I wasn't expecting there to be visitors here so early..." she says, looking at me.

"I umm... " '_Do I lie? If I say I slept here will I be kicked out?_' "The early bird catches the worm!" I decide to give a non-answer and hope it's enough to deflect.

"Uhh... right." It seems to have worked. "I'm Doctor Shaw, I don't think we've met before?" She asks as she approaches Max and myself. We are both stood facing one another.

"I'm Chloe, I'm her cou-"

"Ah, you're the one who brought her in!" She seems almost excited at finding out that news, but I feel a little dread as I know where this is leading. "Maybe you could help us solve a mystery..."

"I don't know... Max is usually the one who solves the mysteries, while I'm basically her bodyguard."

The Doctor gives a little chuckle at that response and continues. "I can see that, standing watch over the sleeping beauty." she gives me a sly wink and I feel a little blush spring to my cheeks. "If you hadn't brought her in when you did, who knows what would have happened?"

"I'm not sure I did anything to help... wouldn't she still just be like this?"

"I guess you weren't told?" my expression was enough of a response for her to continue, "when she... when you brought her in she was severely dehydrated and had suffered quite an extensive blood loss. You may have saved your friend's life Chloe" I don't know how to take that news; part of me feels happy that I did something for her for a change, but mostly I still feel guilty for putting her in that situation to begin with.

"How..." I start to ask before I realize she won't know.

"I was honestly hoping you'd be able to tell me. Is there anything, _anything_, at all you can tell us about the events before you found her?"

I so desperately want to tell her everything, to tell her the kind of shit Max had gone through. Maybe then she'd be able to help, maybe she'll say 'ah travelling through time and fighting storms? you should have said earlier, we have a pill for that!' '_Ugh..._' I miserably continue to swallow my tongue and claim ignorance.

"Hmmm... the thing is, Max here has been a complete mystery for us." She motions for me to sit back down and I do, while she gently rests at the end of Max's bed. "You see, there can be many reasons why someone falls into a coma." She starts to explain, using the digits on her left hand to count. "The most common cause is from head trauma, and that was our initial diagnosis on Friday evening, based on her blood loss and the environment you described to our nurse. However, we could not find any evidence of external head injuries. There are other causes, such as stroke or brain tumours but we see no evidence of them either and the scans that we're capable of doing here shows nothing wrong with her brain. We found no drugs in her system, she's not diabetic and there's no evidence of an infection either."

"So... this is good, right? There's nothing wrong with her?" '_As I suspected... she's perfect!_'

"On paper it seems that way, yet..." I realize what she's getting at and I look at Max, who is lying motionless for inexplicable reasons.

There's an air of sadness hanging in that quiet moment.

"Is she dreaming?" I eventually ask the doctor.

"There's a lot we don't yet know about comas, but there are biological differences between a coma and sleep" I nod as she continues, "When you normally sleep, you go through certain cycles of dreaming, exhibited by rapid eye movement and signals in the brain." I look back at Max, her eyes as motionless as her lips and feel a little disheartened. "Studies have generally shown that in the first week or two of a coma, patients do not show these signals and are therefore unlikely to be dreaming. It's theorized that their brains are kind of re-wiring to the situation." I feel sadder knowing that she's doing... nothing, but maybe she wouldn't want to dream considering everything that's been happening recently. "But that is a general observation! There have also been several cases where patients wake up and recall everything that happened around them, and they could repeat things that their loved ones had talked about."

"So you're saying Max can hear us?" I perk up a little bit at hearing that.

"It's not impossible! If you haven't been speaking to her so far then I would highly encourage you to do so. As I say, many ex-comatose patients have responded well to the stimulus."

"I uhh... I'll keep that in mind, thanks Doc." I get up so that I can leave her to do her job, to run whatever tests or exams she needs to.

"Oh you don't have to leave, I'm only here to check her charts." She is also stood now.

"That's okay," I respond, "her parents will be here soon anyway and I try to stay out of their way." I move past her and closer to the door while giving my excuses, but just as I approach the young doctor grabs my attention again.

"Oh? You're not getting along?"

"We are... it's just..."

"Let me guess, survivor's guilt?"

"Sorry?" I turn back to the doctor and ask.

"It's not uncommon to feel guilt when somebody you love is dead or injured, when you otherwise survived perfectly fine..." Her explanation does make sense but she doesn't understand; Max is literally in this situation because of my actions. With no chance to explain myself, I just nod at the doctor and move to leave.

"Before you go... may I make a little suggestion... and please don't be offended by this." I brace myself for what's about to come, '_a sermon on friendships? Bitching about visiting overnight?_' I just nod for her to continue while one hand rests on the door. "I know you want to be around when Max wakes up but... when she does, she might appreciate it if you... uhh... clean up a little bit." I huff and walk out of Max's room, letting the door slam behind me. '_Who the fuck..._' I start to cuss to myself before I catch a whiff of something funky. '_Damn it, why does she have to be right?_'

* * *

It's early afternoon when I come back to the hospital. I had spent a long time standing in the shower at home, rinsing away days of dirt, tears and guilt. I may have also taken liberty with all of the leftovers in the fridge. I'm sure David will be angry but my stomach feels hella better for it.

I see Kate walking down the hallway towards me with a boy by her side. '_Is that the guy who beat up Nathan? What's his name again? Wayne? Will?_' I wonder.

"Chloe!" Kate exclaims with a happy expression, "there you are! I was surprised when you weren't in Max's room."

"You went to see her?" I ask when we're caught up together, the three of us now standing in the middle of the hallway. The bruises on the boys face confirm he's who I thought.

Kate nods. "Warren came to bring her some flowers and a card, so I offered to go with him if he gave me a lift back to Blackwell." '_Flowers? Ah right... from what Max was saying it sounded like he was interested._' I feel a knot in my stomach tighten at the thought of Max and Warren together. '_She'd probably be happier with him anyway. Happier than what? With you? You never had a chance with someone like Max._' My insecurities get louder and louder before Warren catches my attention.

"Hey Chloe." Warren greets me. I can see the sadness in his eyes. I return the greeting to Warren and comment on his trophies. He rubs at his face and responds, "they are healing up... but I get a lot of awful looks."

"Fuck 'em, you did the right thing Warren - psycho deserved everything he got." There's a moment of silence as we all remember Nathan, possibly in different lights. '_He's recently dead, sure, but he'll always be the fucker who killed Rachel. How does Kate remember him? Could she forgive someone like Nathan? Fuck..._'

"How are you holding up?" Kate asks, probably wanting to change the subject.

"Great!" '_God damn it Chloe, always with the sarcastic replies_' "I mean... as great as they can be considering..." I hasten to add.

"We should probably be going now..." Warren quietly adds.

"You're leaving?" I ask Kate.

"I am finally out of here! Doctors said they see no reason to keep me here any longer."

"Are you uh... feeling okay with that?" I ask out of concern. I don't want any... repeat of what happened last week.

"It's nice of you to ask, but don't worry. The doctors have recommended me to see somebody." I nod in reply. "Chloe... if there's anything we can do for you, or bring you, then please let me know. Here, let me give you my number!"

We trade phone numbers and I thank them both for their offer before they leave. I walk towards Max's room and stop myself just before opening the door. '_Ryan and Vanessa will be in there... can I do this? If Kate can, then why can't I?_' I ask myself. I think back to this morning's conversation with Dr Shaw and her unwarranted psychoanalysis bullshit. '_How can I sit in there when I'm the reason their daughter is in this_ mess?' I sigh and rest my head against the door. '_But what does being out here solve? I really, really want to be with Max... surely I can stomach the awkwardness for her sake._' I stand up straight, take a deep breath and enter through the door.

* * *

**WEDNESDAY**

* * *

"I do respect Dr Seddon, I am confident he has contributed a lot to his field of research, but I'm fearful that, in his rush to solve this riddle, he'll make rookie mistakes and omit a lot of the available evidence." The talking head looks a little older and thinner than Dr Seddon, the small streaks of grey hairs above his ears give him a little refinement. A line of text below the screen labels him as Dr James Heffer, a philosopher of science at the University of Oregon. "Yes, the other evidence," he continues when prompted by the off-screen interviewer. "The most obvious being the warm snow fall and the reports of the solar eclipse... which either happened or, as Dr Seddon suggests, is the result of a mass hysteria. Either way these 'omens', as some members of the religious community may call them, should all be considered when deducing a hypothesis."

"Do you propose an alternative hypothesis for these events?"

"Not yet, but that does not mean that there won't be one. I think we first need to assemble the pieces and decide which is pertinent or not. Let's not forget that Arcadia Bay is not the only source of these... _omens_. The inexplicable wildfires in Europe, during a wet season, is one good example. Furthermore, all around the world there have been reports of herds of wildlife suddenly expiring. When we look at each event on it's own, we often attribute it to climate change, and I'm sure that is the reason behind many of the issues we're facing... but at this point are we just blaming all of the unknowns on ourselves?"

"Hmm, you do make a good point but the way you describe events, and borrow the term 'omen', it sounds like you believe the end times are near!" Dr Heffer and his interviewer chuckle a little at the idea.

"No, no, I do not believe we are facing Ragnarok! All I fear right now is part of a fundamental problem with the way we do science; I think a number of scientists are being blindsided by ideals of nobel prizes, or prospects of research grants, without giving due consideration to all of the available evidence."

"I'm afraid that's all we have time for, thank..."

*click*

Silence fills the room again. I don't need to look at my phone to know it's Wednesday morning. I am getting tired of this quiet place, these stale walls and the back-breaking sleep. Yesterday, when I walked into Max's room, I was greeted by a smile from Ryan. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting; that of a constant, awkward silence. Instead, he was quite eager to talk about Max with me, to tell me how she often spoke about me over the past five years and she was excited to reunite with me. I had found it difficult to accept, '_why wouldn't she keep in contact then?_' I had asked Ryan but received no real answer.

These past few days had been a wild roller coaster of emotions. I grab the card sitting in front of the flowers on Max's bedside, and take a look inside. It's filled with well wishes and hearts from many people, a lot I vaguely remember from my time in Blackhell. Some of them I never really spoke to, like Dana, some I fondly remember, like Justin, and others I am surprised by, like Victoria. '_If you were lying here instead, how many names would be in your card? Would you even get one?_' I bleakly ask myself as I put the card back in its place. It's so obvious that Max is loved and cherished by a lot of people. She still has both of her parents who clearly care a lot about her; they're probably losing money and risking their jobs by being here. There's my Mom and David, who are clearly worrying about her. There's Kate, Warren and all of the names in the card waiting for her recovery. Everybody loves her. '_Who can blame them? Max is perfect! __She really has the softest heart and makes time for everyone. She's adorable and fun to be around. When I'm with her I feel so... warm. It doesn't hurt that she is so damn cute and my God, those freckles!_' My heart beats with a greater intensity as I look at Max's face and gaze at her delicate lips. "I wish I could spend forever with you Max," I whisper before I even realize what I have just said.

I think back to the conversation I had 24 hours ago with the doctor. I take a hold of Max's hand and lean in closer. "Max... whatever's going on in that brain of yours, I hope you can hear me. I want to tell you something and it's killing me that I can't... Ugh, how do I say this to a sleeping person" I start to trail off. '_The Doc says she can hear you but is this really the right time for this?_'

"Max... it was a hella crazy week for us both. I spent all of it focusing on finding someone that meant a lot to me... and she did. She really did. But the thing is... you also came back into my life. My God it was amazing that you, Max Caulfield, was back in my life again." The tears start to flow but I try to hold them back. Max really was here, right in front of me. I had waited so long for this, so long to be with her again.

"I know I was a complete bitch about it but can you blame me? I was so hurt after losing you. But that week with you... it made me remember just how fucking wonderful it was to be around you." The happy memories of that week come flooding back to me; from meeting her in the Blackwell lot to the sneaky swim. I fondly remember how our fingers intertwined, walking lazily down the rail tracks.

Then there was that brief moment of bliss on the cliff, the moment that I wish had never ended. "And that kiss we shared on the cliff... it felt so fucking perfect." The kiss was unforgettable... '_I wish we could do that again._'

"Max... please wake up... I want to just tell you how much I love you, damn it Max I love you so damn much and it hurts to see you lying here. Please come back to me Max, I need you. I love you."

I start to openly weep over her in an otherwise silent room. After a moment I hear a very faint sound. Unsure of its origin, I look upon Max's face.

"Max?" I eagerly ask.

"Chl..." the sound is still faint but I see movement of her lips. My heart beats with a greater intensity after hearing her.

"NURSE!" I desperately shout for their attention.

"Chloe!" Her eyes open and I am overwhelmed once again by her soft doe eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Quite a dense chapter but given that it follows directly on from some very serious events, it would have to be. **

**While writing this chapter I remembered that Nathan would have been killed on the day before the storm, and that the altered photos show Mr Jefferson caught assembling his red folders (i.e. he did not risk drugging Victoria when he knew he'd been found out and could not find Max). I will go through previous chapters and edit out anything that is at odds with this (I think it's just a headline in Ch. 2).**


	5. A Strange Tale

**MAX**

* * *

"Chloe!" I know the word sounds faint as I try to push it through my aching throat and dry lips. My eyes are fully open now and taking in the blue-haired woman sat beside my bed, holding my left hand in her own. Her cheeks are stained with evidence of tears but in contrast, an enormous smile beams across her pale face. '_How could I have ever forgotten her_' I wonder while a flood of memories come back to me. She leans over to embrace me tightly; I try to lift my arms to bring her in deeper but I am too weak. Instead I enjoy her closeness and think about all of the good memories I have with her from our little pirate act to our daring blackwell pool adventures. I fondly remember our marriage too. '_Wait... that didn't happen, did it?_' _She had a different face then...'_

"Max!" she whispers to me, still holding me in her embrace "I'm so glad you're back" She lets me go now, as if suddenly realising that I am made of egg shells, and gives me a worried look over before turning away. "I should go make sure the nurse heard me."

"Wait" with a lot of effort I manage to reach up and grab her hand before it is moved out of reach. "Stay a bit more," she looks at me and I do my best to give her the puppy eyes, "pleeeease." '_I am so shameless_'.

With a sigh she sits back down but I know she is only acting. I crack a little smile at her and she returns it ten-fold. I use my free thumb to rub the back of her soft hand.

"What happened?" The talking becomes a bit too much for my throat and I start to cough. Like a worried Mother, Chloe bursts into action and passes me an open bottle of water. I take it in as best as I can from this prone position. After a few sips I try to ask again, "how did I get here?"

"I dunno Max, I was hoping you'd tell me. We were up by the lighthouse, watching the storm..." the memories come to me in droves; the destroyed homes, the screaming children, and all of the destruction and grief that the storm left behind.

"The storm..." I whisper "I... it killed so many" I feel the tears start to well up. "I'm so sorry Chloe, I'm sorry I couldn't..."

"What? Max! No it didn't! What are you talking about?" I look at her, confused "Max... somehow you used your powers to undo that storm. Everyone is alive because of you Max, you're a fucking hero! You're _my_ hero!" Her expression is intense and she is holding my hand tightly now.

"I'm no hero..." but her words help me recall that last push on the cliff. I was about to end it all. I was about to undo my own existence but instead I tried something drastic, something that sounded so dumb at the time... '_but it worked?_' I finally take my eyes off Chloe and look around me. I am sat in an unremarkable hospital room with my bed, a couple of empty chairs and a small TV hanging in the corner across from the closed door. The unremarkable room is in itself remarkable, it is beautiful, it is amazing... because it's intact. "The town, it survived?" I look back at her. My eyes water at the thought that not only did the town survive... but so did Chloe. "I did it..." I whisper as a giant smile of relief spreads across my face, "... I got to keep you both." I can't help but smile at the victory.

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

What a drastic change. One moment she's emotionless and frozen in time, the next she's crying over imaginary destruction, then she displays the sweetest of smiles. I don't really understand what's going through her mind. I want to ask her a million questions yet, at the same time, spend forever just watching her happy face. The universe still wants to fuck me over though because I get a chance for neither when the door to Max's room opens and a familiar face rushes in.

"You're awake!" he sounds as happy as Max looks.

"Jay! You're alive!" she happily exclaims.

The nurse looks stunned at this response. "Ummm... I am? I'm sorry, have we met before?" he asks cautiously.

I look back at Max and her smile fades away. She closes her eyes and I'm sure she'd be face-palming if she had the strength to lift her arms all that way. I take the chance to intervene, being aware that I'm better at rolling deception checks. "Yeah... you were there when we came to visit Kate last week!"

"Ohhh is that so? I'm sorry for not remembering..." I feel Max's hand tighten around me, a little thank you from her. I squeeze back a 'no problem' as Jay walks closer to Max and checks her vitals. He asks her how she's feeling, while shining a small torch into each of her eyes.

"Exhausted... I can barely move.. and my throat is so dry."

"That's perfectly understandable given your situation... now, do you know your name and where you are?" the nurse continued with his questions.

"Max..." her eyebrows furrow a little in confusion, the little pause is tangible and worries me, "umm... Caulfied and I'm guessing this is Arcadia General?"

"Correct on both accounts. Max," Jay pauses, possibly to construct his next words carefully, "you were brought in, with the help of your loyal friend, because you collapsed. Until now, you have been in a coma."

I watch the confusion rise in Max's face but it fades into acceptance surprisingly quickly, as if she already knew what had happened to her.

"How long was I out?"

"You were in a coma for almost a week. You were brought in last Friday evening, today is Wednesday." Jay replies in a matter-of-fact way.

"That... I'm surprised," Max mumbled but it was still audible to the two of us. On seeing our confused faces Max continues "it felt like I was dreaming for years..."

Max's explanation creates an expression of bewilderment on the nurse's face and it takes me a moment to realize why. When I previously spoke to Dr Shaw, she had patiently told me about what Max was experiencing, and that it was very unlikely for her to be dreaming, though she hastened to add that there are some contrary stories out there.

The nurse relaxes his expression, nods and continues "I know what you mean, I've had plenty of dreams that seemed like a lifetime. Max," his expression changes to one of concern "we have been unable to tell why you actually fell into a coma. Do you remember what happened before you collapsed last Friday?"

'_Oh-shitballs_' I mentally curse, I hadn't had time to confirm our back stories with Max '_what if she says the complete opposite to what I told them?_' Max stares off in the distance for a moment, collecting her thoughts, before answering. She turns to me and gives me an adorable smile, "a kiss" she starts while blushing "and the storm... and I don't really remember anything else before waking up here." I feel a sense of relief in her explanation. I guess it makes sense. '_They'd send her to a crazy house if she told the truth_.'

"Hmm... ok. Well, despite your days long loss of consciousness you seem perfectly fine to me. The doctor will check on you later but I think for now, you need to catch up on your rest... as ironic as that sounds." Jay now looks at me. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave while she rests."

"I'll be quiet!" I try to argue with Jay but he's not accepting it.

"Sorry Chloe, we let you stay all week because it wasn't possible to disturb Max... but now that she genuinely needs rest..."

"You were here all week?" The voice is faint, I look back at Max and see her expression of concern.

"Of course! I'd never leave you Maxipad."

She smiles at my reply and says "you goof... go home and get some rest Chloe, I'll be here when you get back... but before you go can I ask a quick favour?" She looks over at Jay who takes this as a signal for privacy, and makes his way out of the room.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

I watch Jay as he leaves the room. I feel saddened that he doesn't know me in this timeline; he was always so helpful and nice to Chloe and me after the storm hit... '_I should make an effort to get to know him again,_' I make a mental note.

When he leaves, Chloe immediately moves to hug me tighter and whispers, "God I was so worried over you Max, I'm glad you're okay."

I take great comfort in the warmth of her body and words. "Mmmm, I'm okay now I got Chloe hugs," I softly reply.

"Look at what you've done to me, turned me into a big softie!"

"It's my favourite power," I retort.

"Seriously, what happened back then Max?" She leans back so that her face is only a few inches from mine. '_Wowsers, she is so..._' I could lose myself in her eyes. "Max?" I snap out of it.

I pause and think on how I should best answer. '_Do I have to tell her what I've seen through multiple timelines? That I've either watched her destroy herself over and over, or suffered by granting her final wish..._' It's a lot to talk about and instead I just choose to delay. I am not even 100% sure of the events that happened in this 'original' timeline anymore. "I don't ever want to keep anything from you Chloe, but can we go through it later? It's a lot to talk about and my throat is..."

I can see a little frustration in her face as she moves away and sits back down on her chair. "Ok Max... I understand."

"Please don't be mad Chloe... I'm just so exhausted."

"I know Max, I know..." She strokes my hand and I sit for a moment in bliss. "You uhh... wanted a favour?"

"Oh! Is my camera here?" I ask.

"I think we left your bag in my truck, do you want me to go get it?"

"Please" I say as I nod. "can you check if my journal is in there too? I need it..." I stop myself and close my eyes. '_to remember what has and hasn't happened_,' I mentally finish. "When you come back later... could you tell me what's been happening in the past few days?"

"Are you sure Max?" I nod in response.

I feel the exhaustion catching up to me now; I am unable to resist the oncoming sleep. "Stay with me until I fall asleep," I whisper.

"Of course Max, I'll be your eternal guard..." I smile at that and enjoy the warmth from her fingers around mine.

* * *

_The wind howls in the distance, punctuated by screams and sobs. The street is littered with torn chunks of wood; they are all that's left of the surrounding homes. A large stone sits on top of an equally sized car, a bloodied arm dangles loosely from the passenger side window. My hands are wet. I hold them up and see they are covered in blood. A wet thud sounds behind me and I turn to see a blue haired punk lying motionless, with her forehead marked with a bullet wound. "Chloe!" I scream, as I instantly recognise the body before me. Another body falls from the sky and hits the ground to my right, making another sickly thud; it's the body of another Chloe, this one with bruises on her arms. The sickening sounds of bodies hitting tarmac continue, each Chloe showing evidence of how they met their end. One has rope burns around her neck another bullet wounds in her stomach, one other is mangled almost beyond all recognition. "Why did you kill me Max?" the voice is soft. I look around and see a Chloe looking directly at me, her hair is her old natural blonde, "You're a murderer, Max." I am about to speak up when I hear other voices around me. "Look at what you did to me," "you're such a manipulative bitch...", "five years you abandoned me!", I tightly shut my eyes and hold my hands over my ears, to try and block the increasing volume and intensity of the insults from the one I love most. "None of these people deserved what you did to them", "you're worse than Nathan", __"why do I only die when you're around?". I scream and their voices instantly cease. In the silence I hear one more voice, a whisper exaggerated by the silence. __"I hate you Max." _

I wake up in a cold sweat. My sleep has not been without by nightmares for a long time now.

I like being awake anyway. It's like I get to hide from my sub-conscious. The birds make a pleasant sound outside my window and I take a moment to enjoy their music. I take pleasure in listening to the human life outside of my window, from the busy main road to the footsteps and chatter of the people in the hallway next to me.

'_It actually worked_,' I think to myself and smile. '_It's over... I won._' I grin as I imagine how life will be now, how I'll get to enjoy life with both Chloe, Joyce, and everyone I know at Blackwell. I see a vase of flowers on the bedside and look at the little attached card and feel no surprise to find they're from Warren. '_I should really tell him before he gets his hopes up.._.' I pick up the card and read all of the names inside. '_Oh Kate, I hope you're okay_,' I remind myself I should ask the nurses if she's still here, or contact her as soon as I get my phone back. I put the card back in its place, feeling a little disheartened that there's nothing from Chloe. I know it's not really her style.

With nothing else to do, my mind wanders to the events on the cliff by the lighthouse. '_How did I even do that?_' I ask myself. There is so much I don't know, someone brighter than me should have been given these powers. I raise my hand into the air, trying to replicate the events of a few days past. I close my eyes and concentrate on the still air around me. My fingers delicately dance through the air, as if playing an imaginary piano. The sudden resistance snaps my eyes open and I look at the air in front of me, only to find nothing. I draw my breath, close my eyes and move my fingers through the air again, trying to find that little bump. After some moments I find it again and delicately feel it out. It feels like a taught piece of string, similar to what I felt on the cliff, stretching horizontally from my left to my right and beyond. I trace my fingers right, following the length of the string until I reach a knot. I work the knot in my hand and feel four separate strings stem from it; the original one from the left direction and three more in varying directions. As my fingers move across the surface of the knot I feel like I can hear voices, but they are so faint, whispers on the edge of hearing. I try to focus on those sounds...

"_Ahem,_" I lose focus and open my eyes at the sudden intrusion. Jay is standing at the end of my bed with a curious expression. "Sorry to interrupt your... meditation?" he asks.

"It's okay... it's a technique I learned to deal with anxiety." '_More lies, liar_'

"Ah, how are you feeling otherwise? Did you get some rest?" he asks.

"A little... and I am better, thank you."

"Great to hear it. I have two visitors outside who are eager to see you, do you think you're up for it?"

"Who?" I wonder, '_Chloe? Joyce?_' I feel excited at the prospect of seeing them again, even though it's only been a short time.

"Your parents!" he answers.

I mentally kick myself for not even thinking of them, but the disappointment of it not being Chloe is very short-lived as my Father pokes his head around the door.

"Hello champ!"

"Dad!" I sit up further and wave him in for a hug, which he gladly accepts. "Mom!" she follows directly behind him and also returns a hug.

"Anyway, I will leave you alone... but please keep the visit short, I am sure Max needs to get some rest." Jay adds before leaving.

My Dad nods at Jay before taking a seat next to Mom. "How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Exhausted... how are you two? How was your journey?" I look over at them and smile, both look a little older and greyer than I remember but both are also clearly happy, or relieved.

The conversation continues as we make small talk, though it's a little strained as we all try to ignore the obvious elephants in the room named Jefferson, Nathan and Storm. It feels like I have been away from my parents for a lifetime and, as we sit and talk, I realize how much I have missed my Dad's dumb jokes or even my Mom's anxiety.

"What's up Max?" my Dad asks, clearly I've been making a face that concerns him.

"Oh, nothing... I just missed you both."

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

I pull my beast in to one of the bays of the hospital's lot, avoiding the disabled spaces this time. Since leaving here earlier I had walked all the way to the beach where I left the truck, and was relieved to find Max's bag still inside along with a few new tickets on the windshield. I only quickly checked the contents of her bag to make sure my Dad's... or her... camera was still there, along with her journal. I admit it was tempting to have a sneaky peak, to find any mentions of yours truly, but of course I'd never betray my Max like that. After that I had headed to the diner to tell Mom the good news... and to enjoy a little bacon feast before heading home for a power nap. I feel nervous at the thought of seeing Max again. Now there would be no more storm, no more psychos... it was just going to be me and her on simple, normal, pirate-esque adventures. '_Until she disappears again_,' I try not to listen to that voice inside my head but I know it's true, I know it's only inevitable that I'll lose her again. I take a deep breath, grab her things and head inside.

* * *

I approach the door to her room, with a giddy feeling inside, when I overhear voices within.

"... so you reckon you'll come up to Seattle?" I freeze at hearing the masculine voice, who I assume is Ryan.

"I don't know yet Dad. We'll have to see," came the weak response, barely audible through the door. '_I knew she'd leave again_,' I feel angry at myself for letting my guard down. I turn to leave when I feel the weight of her bag in my hand. '_I should at least drop this off..._' I sigh, turn back and enter through her door. Max is still in her bed, but at least she's sitting up this time, while Ryan and Vanessa sit on her right side. When Max sees me, her face brightens and I immediately calm down.

"Hey you!" she says excitedly, "where have you been?"

"Oh you know," I start as I take a seat at the other side of her bed, "had to tame the beast, plunder some treasure from the Two Whales, sleep off a curse. The usual."

Max giggles, it's a sound that calms my heart. I'll never grow tired of that laugh.

"My Dad was just asking if we have plans for Thanksgiving."

"We?" I ask.

"Mmm... me and you, doofus."

Ryan suppresses a laugh and intervenes, "why don't the two of you come up to Seattle? We'd love to have you over for Thanksgiving."

"I'm an idiot..." I realize I said that out loud and quickly follow up "Umm... thank you for the offer, that would be amazeballs!" Max gives me a look but I ignore it. I fear I might have to do some explaining later.

"We really should get going Ryan," Vanessa now adds.

"You're heading back to Mom's?" I ask the pair.

"Actually, no..." Ryan answers this time, "we're going to head back to pick up our stuff but I'm afraid we can't really afford to stay away from work for much longer. If we set off now, we should be back in Seattle tonight."

"That sucks," I reply, but a part of me feels a little happy for having Max to myself. I immediately feel guilty for thoughts like that. "but I'm glad I got to see you two again."

"We're so glad you two are still friends after all this time. I guess nothing could really keep you two apart." Vanessa adds in but I remain silent at that comment.

The three of us stand up and shake hands as we go through the usual goodbye routine. The fact that I follow through with it all must seem bizarre to those who know me, but I keep telling myself I have to stay in their good books, for Max's sake.

"Maxine, please keep in touch with us more, okay?"

"Yes Mom," the girl in the bed replies, "and have a safe trip."

With that, Max's parents have gone and it's finally just me and her. The fuzzy feeling in my stomach returns.

"How are you feeling Maximo?" I ask her out of genuine concern.

"Better...", I feel her wandering eyes over my face, "what was that about?"

"Uhh... what?" I try to play dumb.

"When my Dad mentioned thanksgiving? Shoot..." she almost slaps her self as she holds her hand up to her face and closes her eyes. "I'm sorry Chloe. I just assumed that we'd be spending it together and didn't even ask you first..."

"What? No! Of course I want to spend it with you, you dork." Now I feel guilty again, "it's just, when I was outside your door I heard your Dad talk about Seattle and I thought..."

"Chloe..." Her face is more serious now. "I know it's going to take a long time for you to accept this, but I am never going to leave you again, okay? We're partners in time, remember?" I nod at her, "That means forever, you know?"

I nod again and whisper a sorry. '_I know she says she'll be here forever, but how long will that really be? A month? A year? What happens when she goes to_ _college_?' My thoughts are interrupted as she holds out her hands, practically begging for a hug, for which I am very happy to oblige.

"Mmm, Chloe hugs. The best cure." I hold her tightly and feel her soft arms surround me. In such close proximity I can feel her soft heartbeat and smell her sweet self, despite lying here for days. '_Does that mean she can smell me? I'm glad I showered..._'

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

'_She's really real and alive and here,_' I can't help but think as I tightly hold on to my dear friend. '_I can't believe I get to keep her. Screw you storm!_' I mentally celebrate. I am suddenly reminded of my earlier request. "Chloe?" I feel the loss when we separate, as Chloe sits back up to give an affirmative. "Do you have my camera?"

"Oh yeah, I got your stuff right here," she leans down and lifts my bag onto the bed.

"Can you take a picture of me?" My question obviously stuns her.

"What? No offence Max but aren't you like, the selfie Queen? I'm just gonna mess up the shot."

"The quality doesn't matter, I need to make a check point." Her blank stare is enough of an answer that I need to explain further, "in case something happens and I need to undo it. In case... the storm comes back or something, I don't know."

"Max... what's going to happen? It's over, we found Rachel, Jeffershit is behind bars, Nathan's dead and the storm is gone. Why are you so worried?"

"Please..." I ask again. It's true that the storm is gone, but I am uneasy.

"Ok, ok... " she concedes.

"Before you do, can you turn the flash off?"

"But won't that make a shitty picture?"

"There's enough light... but as I said, the quality of the picture never seems to matter. I know I'm asking a lot, but on the back of the photo could you also write the time and date, and any words I say after taking the photo, if I say anything?" I can tell I'm worrying her a bit with all these odd requests but I continue, "there's a pen in my bag if you need one."

"Ok Max, sure." She lifts up the camera and I brace myself, going through the breathing techniques that I learnt in a previous life, or timeline. I hear the soft click of the camera but there's no flash. Thankfully Chloe remembers how to turn it off on William's old camera. I watch her work as she flips the photograph over and writes some details down on the back.

"All done!" she puts the photo and pen back in my bag and smiles with a grin that I'll cherish forever.

"Thank you Chloe... you really are the best," I smile at her

"I'm nothing compared to you Max, you dork." I reach out to hold her hand, which she happily takes into her own. "So umm... honestly, I can't keep it in any longer, I'm dying to know how you got rid of that storm."

I laugh at her and her impatience. I stroke the back of back of her hand with my thumb and begin a tale of strange events. I had been practising the best way to explain everything, but in the moment I just said the first things that came to mind.

"After you selflessly asked me to go back, to undo everything... I did." I can already see the look of confusion on her face, "but when I got back to that bathroom, I couldn't. There was just no way I could watch, or even let you die. Not again. So I rung the bell again but instead of coming back to the cliff, I stayed in the bathroom and I went further back.

"I desperately searched through my bag for all the photos I had, looking for any way in which I could stop both you and the storm. At first I went back to when I first moved to Seattle, and forced my dumb old self to keep in touch with you."

"Max..." Chloe tries to intervene.

"I know I shouldn't have, I know that changing things so far back in time has completely unknown consequences. I was just so desperate to save you. You're my number one priority Chloe.

"Nothing worked though. I learned how to fully travel back through a photo, rather than temporarily visiting, but it was all pointless; the storm always came. So I..." I feel the tears start to well up and I hold her hand tighter. "So I let it... I stood there and let it destroy Arcadia. I let it..." the tears now come in full force, "I let it kill everybody, because I couldn't let go of you. I'm a monster..."

"No you're not Max, you faced an impossible choice!" I turn away from her out of shame and lie on my side. The mattress sinks as Chloe lies down behind me and puts her comforting arm around me. "I'm here Max."

"I know... thank you." After some time in silence I continue with the story. "It killed everyone Chloe. We had to go into town to retrieve some things but I really wish we hadn't. I can't even explain the horrors of what we saw." I continue to cry. With her free hand, Chloe strokes my hair. "We tried to get on with our lives afterwards but it destroyed us both." I don't add that it mainly destroyed Chloe, or how adamant she had been that the storm was for her, how she fell into worse habits with drink and drugs, how we got into many arguments, or how she ended her life with an overdose. "So I tried again. I went back, and relived the past week over and over, trying to do anything to prevent the storm or lessen the impact of it. It didn't matter how many died though, the guilt still destroyed us."

I turn my body around, our faces only inches apart, and her arm still surrounds and comforts me.

"I felt so defeated, going back to that bathroom... Sitting there against the wall, knowing that I had the power to stop it but I shouldn't. It was so awful."

"Max... why would you go through so much agony just for me?"

I lift my hand up to her face and answer, "because I love you Chloe. I love you more than anything." Once I would have been afraid of her rejection, but through all of my experiences I know that Chloe always feels the same way back. I lean in closer and our lips graze, in that brief moment I have doubts, '_what if this timeline is different? what if I've done too much? What if my dreams are right? Does she hate..._' My concerns are cut short when I feel her lips press up against mine. We embrace in a tight passionate kiss and when it ends, we both plant soft kisses on each other's lips.

"Wowsers," I'm surprised to hear that from Chloe and I chuckle. "Where have you been hiding that?" I give her a devilish grin, I decide I shouldn't tell her it's far from the first kiss I've had with her as I know how prone she is to jealousy, even if it's at her own self. "I love you too Max..." her words fill me with such warmth and we lie there in a moment of sheer happiness. After a while, Chloe tries to get more information out of me. "I'm a bit confused though. Why am I here? Wait, am I here?"

"I hope so," I reply, holding her tighter. "It turns out that letting go was also pointless, the storm still came but a couple of weeks later. I was devastated. I collected all the photos I had and... I guess I went on an adventure. I wasn't really sure what to do or where to go, why the storm was there or what I could even do. I tried everything. I stopped William again, and the accident you were in. I stopped... " I abruptly stop myself before I tell her I saved Rachel, I save it for a time when the wounds aren't so fresh. "I stopped and did whatever I could, all pointless in the end when the storm fell on Arcadia.

"In one timeline we had a gathering of minds, all the smartest people of Arcadia Bay in one place! We almost filled a table!" I knew that would earn one of her sweet smiles. "I didn't tell them the whole truth, it was more like a thought experiment. It was suggested" '_by Rachel_' "that in every timeline I _theoretically_ visit, there are always two things in common; the storm... and me.

"It was a bit like a punch in the gut, but I understood what they meant. So I painstakingly went back through time and undid everything I could remember, in order to come back to the original timeline, or here. It meant I had to relive Thursday night though, as that was the last photo I had."

"You willingly went back into..." Chloe begins to ask. I nod and try to continue the story, ignoring the horrific events that I had to relive, word for word, action for action.

"Then when we got to the cliff... I fully intended to undo..." a short silence lies heavy before I finish "me."

I see the tears well up on Chloe's face and I brush them away with a thumb.

"It was the last solution I had Chloe, we were only guessing that the storm was there for you. What if it was there for me?"

"That's a pretty big if," Chloe replies.

"I know... but before I could do it. A future me passed on a message, through you. I don't really understand how, it must mean that in the future I learn to travel back without a photo, but I got the message and tried it out."

"What was the message? I don't remember that..."

"Sorry Chloe, you don't remember because I had to rewind a bit to undo any damage to the town. The message was that I should try to hold the storm."

"What?" She asks, confused.

"My reaction exactly. I can physically take things with me when I rewind so I held up my hand and... felt something that wasn't there."

"Ummm..."

"I don't know how to explain it, but whatever it was I grabbed it and rewound. My powers are a lot stronger than they were a week ago, from your perspective. I managed to rewind a full week, letting go of the storm one bit at a time, before I fast-forwarded back to the cliff. Clearly a week was a bit too much for me though, as I woke up here."

"We've been having crazy winds all week, are you saying...?"

"Have we? I remember last week being fairly calm, that's why the storm was so unexpected."

"Holy shit Max, you are amazeballs!" '_Gosh I absolutely adore her excited face._'

"I'm just happy that part is now over, reliving your life over and over really sucks ass. I get to... I actually get to enjoy a new future, with you, Joyce, the people at Blackwell..." I feel more tears, of happiness this time. There's more I need to tell Chloe, 'I need to tell her about my encounters with Rachel... and how do I even describe what I saw in my coma dreams...' but instead I decide to just enjoy this peaceful moment with her. I lean forward to press my lips against hers, which turns into another passionate kiss we're both reluctant to break from. "I have all the time in the world for you Chloe... literally."

"You dork," the beautiful punk smirks before blessing me with another kiss.


	6. Encounter

**CHLOE**

* * *

The sound of muffled voices drags me away from freckle-filled dreams. With still-closed eyes I spread my arms across the bed, searching out for my Max, and find nothing but sheet.

"Max?" My eyes shoot open. Maybe I worry too much but I immediately lean up and search around my bedroom. I find her sat at my desk, still in her sleepwear, staring at the screen of my old computer. "Max?" I ask again, this time to get her attention. She either ignores me or can't hear me over the noises in her headphones. I lie back down and consider a bit of wake'n'bake but curiosity gets the better of me. I reluctantly get out of bed and drag myself over to stand behind Max. '_She looks so fucking adorable when she's concentrating_' I muse, before I lean down and plant a soft kiss on her check. She jumps a little out of surprise, pulls the headphones down to around her neck and looks back at me.

"Morning you," she says before reaching to kiss me on the lips, which I happily return.

"What are you watching? I have a scissoring playlist if you want recommendations..." I see her blush, which only makes me melt.

"Just trying to get my head around some things..." both of us turn our attention away from each other and to the screen before us. I see a video of Neil deGrasse Tyson in one of his space documentaries, and the other tabs have titles with words like 'cosmology', 'astrophysics' and 'dummies'.

"Seriously? You're doing homework at this time of morning? You are such a dork." I tease at her but I put my arms around her and rest my head on her shoulders.

"I wish I'd paid more attention in science class... this stuff is so confusing."

"What are you struggling with?"

"Do you know anything about the end of the universe, or how it began?"

"Umm... like the big bang? I know that it was a bang... and it was uhh... big." I try my best to give an answer.

"Does the universe last forever, or does it come to an end? What happens then?" I can see she is a little exasperated, and there is a little frustration in her voice.

"What's eating you up Max, why's this so important?"

"I don't even know how to describe it Chloe. I had these weird dreams when I was in a coma and I think there might be answers in there, some reason as to why I have these powers."

"Just start from the beginning Max, don't worry about how it sounds." I perch myself at the edge of my bed and listen to Max as she tells me about her endless coma dreams. I am engrossed by her vivid descriptions of what I assume is the big bang, the creation and destruction of stars and the planets, the collapse and rebirth of the universe.

"Max, you are... " I start to whisper but I decide it's best not to finish that sentence. I try to suppress the thoughts that want to bubble to the forefront of my mind - ideas that this girl, who sits in front of me in her teddy bear printed t-shirt and cute pink underwear, has potentially witnessed something that no other human has or ever will. I try not to think that this girl, who says 'wowsers' after kissing, has the power of a-

"I saw it over and over again but each time it was slightly different. I saw Earth every time but there were always little differences, like the continents had different shapes and mountains, or I'd see animals I'd never seen before. I'm positive it was Earth though because I always saw you. You were always different but I could always tell it was _you_."

"If I looked so different, how could you tell it was me?"

"I just... I don't know, I was always just drawn to you. You were like this beacon among everything else. The last cycle was different though, lots of crazy stuff happened," she goes on to explain the phenomena and I recognise the freak weather and dying wildlife, "then the universe kind of... ended. I was just stuck there floating in a void until you called out to me."

"You heard me?" She nods, '_holy shitballs, she actually heard me!_'

"Either those dreams are just pure imaginative nonsense or maybe there are answers in there somewhere."

"Answers to what?" I ask.

"Like, why do I have these powers and what's going on with all these freaky events? I need to talk to someone smart..."

"I'll try not be offended by that," the concern rises in her face as she realizes what she just said.

"I mean, someone who knows all the theory behind this stuff. If they can confirm what I saw, like match it up to the real physics, then maybe my vision was real. And if it's real..."

"If it's real... then we've got more to worry about than Nathan...", '_like the end of the fucking universe_' Max gives a solemn nod. "Who did you have in mind?" Her expression reveals I need to elaborate, "know many experts in theoretical physics?"

"Umm... I was going to ask Warren..."

I can't help but laugh at the lovable dork, "Sorry Max, I'm sure he knows a lot but... I think you can aim a little higher than a high school boy with a crush," '_plus, I'd be kinda jealous if you and him hung out._'

"Who else?"

"Mrs. Grant is still teaching there, right? She was pretty smart when I went."

"Excellent! You can talk to her!"

"I can what?" I am startled, like a deer in headlights.

"Talk to her. When I'm meeting Wells later." It takes me a moment for me to remember all of today's plan, forgotten in the excitement of exploding stars. I was happy when Max asked to meet Kate for brunch, I'm even looking forward to seeing that little munchkin again. I wasn't so happy to find out Principal Wells wanted a meeting with Max though, it's only been a day since she got out of the hospital, two days since she got out of a coma, and she's already being dragged into Shitsville.

"Maybe." I'm hoping I'll come up with an excuse to get out it before we get to Blackhell. It's not that I dislike Mrs. Grant at all, but I'd rather avoid anything in that hellhole. "We should fly, you fool, don't wanna keep Kate waiting."

"It's unlike you to worry about being late."

"Well, I'm sure it's a sin or something."

"Before we go anywhere..." she turns behind her then back at me, this time holding out her camera to me. She doesn't need to explain any further. I take the camera and her photo, before writing the time and date on the back of it.

* * *

**KATE**

* * *

I had only been to this diner once, back before that horrible party. At the time I was quite eager to explore this new town and take in all of its little quirks but I suppose I lost the motivation. How naive could I have been, I was looking forward to moving to a new town, to get away from my suffocating mother and make new friends. It turned out nobody really wanted me in their company... at least, nobody except for Max. She gave me the hope that I needed to continue and I am forever grateful for that. '_Where is she_?' I ask myself, looking at the time on my phone. While I'm sat here waiting, I decide to look back at the recent texts I had with Max.

Hello Max, it was nice of you to visit yesterday, and thanks again for being there. I appreciate it a lot.  
Sent Fri 10:34

No problemo Kati...o, I'll visit you again soon, ok?  
Received Fri 10:47

That would be nice :)  
Sent Fri 11:12

Mo' emojis! :-P ;o)  
Recv. Fri 11:16

Have you seen the crazy storm? Hope you're safe inside.  
Sent Fri 18:12

Max?  
Sent Fri 20:34

Max... I understand if you don't want to speak to me again. Could you please at least let me know you're safe?  
Sent Sat 09:41

I cringe a little at my self-doubt. I had no idea about Max's situation until an hour after I sent that text, when a bright haired punk barged into my room. I continue to scroll through the following texts when I am approached by one of the waitresses; an attractive middle-aged woman with blonde hair tied up. She holds up a jar of coffee to which I politely refuse.

"Do you have any tea?" I ask the waitress, as she seems a little offended at the refusal of coffee.

"Will breakfast tea be ok?"

"That sounds lovely, thank you." I return with a genuine smile.

"Can I get you anything to eat?"

"I'm just waiting for a couple of friends, may I order when they get here?"

The waitress smiles at me and says "no problem sweetie, I'll bring over your tea in a minute."

I continue to pass the time by looking at my phone, only looking up when I hear the door close. I feel happy when I see Max skipping towards me, punk friend in tow.

"Kate!" she practically screams.

"Max!" at this point we embrace into a deep hug. She holds me tighter than I expect, as if she doesn't want to let go, until I give her a pat on the back.

"It's great to see you out and about Kate," this time Chloe gives me a hug. It's definitely not what I expected from this person I barely know, but I return the hug. I catch a hint of cigarettes on her clothes before we let go of one another and sit down. Max sits by the window and Chloe sits beside her, while I return to my seat opposite them.

"Well now, if these are the friends you're waiting for, I should have given you a warning!" the waitress appears beside our table and starts filling up two cups of coffee for the two in front of me.

Before I can make sense of the comment, Max gives the waitress a smile and responds, "good morning Joyce, you're looking radiant as ever" while Chloe just grunts.

"Flattery will get you everywhere Max... now what can I get you trouble-makers?"

"I'll have your world-famous waffles," the wirey haired girl demands with a smile.

"Bacon... with eggs, this time," the punk responds.

Now all eyes turn to me. "Umm... the waffles sound good."

"Gotcha," she adds, before returning behind the counter.

"I guess you know her?"

"She's my Mom" Chloe responds.

"She seems really nice," I try to compliment them both. I feel a sense of familiarity with the tense interaction between mother and daughter.

"Yeah... she is... " Chloe practically whispers. "What have you been up to Kate?"

Over the next 20 minutes we all catch up as we eat our brunch. I don't think any of us want to discuss the recent events in Arcadia so we talk about the things we enjoy, laughing at each other's jokes along the way. I get to know them both a bit more, asking about their parents, Max's time in Seattle, and Chloe's rust-bucket of a truck. There is a part of me that feels fulfilled as I sit here and laugh with friends, but another part of me feels so disconnected from the events, as if I were a stranger inhabiting my own body.

The two opposite attentively listen to the story of my hospital visit and the subsequent days back at Blackwell. They appear sad when I tell them about the interactions with my family; how my Father and sisters were able to visit yet my Mother stayed clear.

"What a bitch! I can't believe she wouldn't visit her own daughter in the hospital." Chloe seemed angry at the idea. I was a little offended at her insult to my own mother but I suppose a part of me didn't disagree.

"My Dad tried to make excuses for her but I think really she's just ashamed."

"Oh Kate, I'm so sorry," came the sweet tones of a comforting Max.

I nod and give a whispered thank you in response. I go on to tell them how the police visited me before I had my introduction to Chloe.

"What did they want?" Max asks while Chloe remains silent.

"They wanted to tell me what they found..." I start, but I struggle to continue.

Max reaches out her hand to embrace my own. "It's ok Kate, you don't need to say anything you don't want to."

I nod and continue, "then they asked me a few questions about what I remembered. I told them everything that I told you Max, about being dizzy and Nathan offering to take me to the hospital."

"You didn't mention Mark?" Chloe's turn to ask the hard questions. Her expression is one of surprise.

"Mr. Jefferson? No, why would I? I mean, I saw him on the news but I couldn't believe it. I told the police that I only ever saw Nathan."

I feel Max pull her hand away from mine and with a squeek she remarks that she's going to be late if we don't move. I get a feeling that I have said something wrong, maybe I imagine it but I feel a little tension between the three of us. I do not pursue it and instead take up Chloe's offer of a lift back to Blackwell.

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

Fortunately Mrs G is alone in the classroom, transferring glassware from the desktop to a cupboard above her shoulders.

"Well I never... " Mrs Grant says in a surprising tone when she sees me enter, "we've had everything from solar eclipses to vanishing storms, and now Chloe Price walks into a classroom. We are truly living in the end times..." she lets out a soft giggle. I know she is teasing and trying to make light humour of the fucked up things going on, but I am tempted to just turn around and walk back out.

"Hello Mrs. Grant, can I give you a hand?"

It takes a moment for her to respond, clearly wondering if she was falling into a trap. "That would be swell... these cupboards were not built for the vertically challenged, but I don't think they'll give you much trouble. Here, I'll pass them to you if you could just put them on the top shelf."

"Sure," I respond, taking her position beside the cupboard while she starts handing me beakers and flasks.

I take each flask and place them up on the shelves above, wondering how to broach certain questions, when she speaks up first. "I suppose we're lucky, there aren't as many beakers as there were this morning." I barely listen and offer up a grunt. "One student decided that, instead of asking for more acid, she'd try to dilute it with water..."

"What an idiot," I mumble.

"I see you remember something from my lessons. Fortunately we only lost a beaker and not the poor kid's face."

"I couldn't have forgot. You drilled it into us pretty hard, '_never mix acid and water_'. It was like your daily mantra or something."

Mrs Grant chuckles at my comment, "I suppose some students just don't listen, even if your drill it into their heads over and over again. Even some of my best and most eager students make mistakes." I am unsure if she's referring to me, and look at her face as she passes me the next glass. Stoic.

"I guess some students just... can't help being distracted, you know."

"Oh I know, I know." Silence falls until all the glasses are packed away. I close the cupboard door and turn back to Mrs Grant, who is now walking away with the tray, towards the other side of the room. I watch as she places the tray underneath a sink and walks towards her desk at the front.

"Can I ask you something Mrs Grant?"

"I think you just did," she says with a smile, "but I'd be a terrible teacher if I stopped you from asking any more." She is now sat at her desk with papers in her hands, presumably student essays or tests.

'_Here goes..._' "Do you know much about the universe?"

This gets a deep, hearty laughter out of her. "I wish I did Chloe, I wish we all did."

"I mean... like, is there an end to it?"

"Size or age?"

"Age, I guess" I clarify.

"I majored in Biology so I'm no expert, but I remember there being two possibilities." I nod along, encouraging her to continue. "Either the universe is infinite, or it isn't. I don't know which one scares me most, to be frank. If it's infinite then there's infinite realistic possibilities out there, right now there'd be another Earth out there with another duplicate of me or you, who have made different decisions in their lives."

"That scares you?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Absolutely! I'd hate to meet her. What if it turns out that, me choosing to date Brad instead of Alex in 6th grade led me to become a rock star instead of a high school teacher?"

I laugh at the image of Mrs Grant rocking on stage, "you'd totally rock it!" she chuckles in response. '_I wonder how I would have turned out if things had been different..._' "What about the other possibility?"

"Well, if the universe is finite then it's either going to expand forever, or collapse back in on itself. The big _crunch_."

"What a lame-ass name." I add in my own charm.

"I wouldn't worry Chloe, we'll be looooong gone by then. Our sun will only last another 5 billion years or so anyway"

"Well that's a comforting thought. What happens after Cap'n Crunch takes his last bite?"

"There are theories, some say it all begins again with a new big bang, and others say that this situation is unique, like a kind of random mutation."

"But we don't know for sure?"

"I don't think we ever will know Chloe. How can we know what happens beyond our own universe? I think there's many that would say that kind of knowledge is not for mere mortals, and only for the Gods to know." '_and adorable hipster pirates_.' "You always did have an interest in science... when you weren't distracted. How did you do in your diploma?"

There's an awkward silence in the air, '_here we go..._' I think. "I uhh... didn't."

"Didn't do well? I'm sorry to hear that."

"No I... didn't go back to school after my suspension." I suspect she already knows, information isn't private in a town like this.

"Oh Chloe." I don't want her sympathy, I just want to get out of here. '_Why did I even come here? Did I actually learn anything that would help Max?_' I feel frustrated at myself and my incompetence. '_I really need a drag_.'

"I think I'd better go now, thanks for feeding my curiosity." I turn to leave.

"Wait a sec..." she fumbles through her handbag, "a good friend of mine teaches evening classes at the library, maybe it's worth considering?" I look down at the pamphlet in her hands and see the GED acronym. "I'd be happy to support you in any way I can Chloe."

I don't know how to respond to this gesture of good will. I take the pamphlet and say "I'll give it a thought or two... keep on rockin' Mrs G!" as I leave her classroom.

I walk down the hallway past the lockers and towards the foyer. There are a few students here but none that I recognise. When I turn the corner I am rewarded with the beaming smile of Max, stood waiting for me by the doorway.

I quickly walk over to her and embrace her. "I missed you," I tell her, mid-hug.

"You goof..." she adds, "I missed you too."

"How'd it go in there?" I lean back from her and nod my head towards Wells' office.

"Well I'm no longer suspended!"

"That's great!" I say happily, but a part of me feels sad when I realize she'll be spending time away from me to study.

"I guess... I'd rather spend my days watching dumb movies with you though," I feel like she is reading my mind and plant a soft kiss on her lips.

"Well we can do that today, right?"

"Mmhmm, I don't have to be back here until Monday."

"Is there anything you want to grab before we go?"

It takes a moment for her to think about it, "no, I don't want to run into anybody else right now, let's just go to yours." I grab her hand and lead her outside through the doors. As we walk to the beast Max asks how it went on my end.

"Well it sounds like nobody really knows." Max appears a little disappointed at my answer, "but when you were describing things this morning they were quite vivid, I think maybe what you saw was real Max." That seems to only make her a little sadder. "Hey, let's not think about that right now. How about we watch the pirates trilogy?"

"Aren't there like, 6 movies now?"

"What? No way! Well, I guess that's what we'll be doing today then." I love looking at her smile, and struggle to take my eyes off her as we walk back to the beast, ready for another cozy day together.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

_A small, pink bicycle lies across the boundary between the road and pavement; its only attached wheel spins lazily in the wind. A young girl __lies motionless in a pool of blood beside the bicycle; her limbs are crooked and__ a length of rebar protrudes outwards from her torso, pointing into the cloudy sky above. I feel her vacant stare piercing through to my soul._

_"Perfection." I instantly recognise the voice of the demon behind me, "you have really accomplished something here." The figure of Mark Jefferson moves past me and kneels in front of the young girl. He lines up the viewfinder of his camera to his eyes and takes a shot. "You have perfectly captured lost innocence, I am so proud."_

_"Stop," I try to complain but it only comes out as a whisper. I am fearful of his wrath._

_He moves around the body, taking shot after shot of the motionless child. "You truly were my best student, my prodigy. Look at what you have achieved!" He looks at me and motions around him. I know what he is pointing out but I do not look, I try to avoid the sight of the other mangled bodies strewn across the street._

_"I'm not..." it starts as a whisper, but I somehow find the courage to shout it out, "I'm not like you!"_

_"You're right there Max. It looks like your talents have grown far beyond mine. I have always been very particular about my subjects, but you have opted for a bulk method... and the results are spectacular!" He taunts me. I try to shut my eyes and scream for him to go away. When I open them, he is stood immediately in front of me, camera held up to his face. "Perfect!" The flash acts like a dagger to my soul, reminding me of torture and death._

* * *

My eyes abruptly shoot open and I try to slow my breathing as I take in my surroundings. Chloe is next to me, that's a good thing, and her arm around me already makes me feel safe and warm. The punk's clothes are scattered along the floor, the american flag moves slightly by the draft, and there is a light smell of cigarettes and weed in the air. I am definitely in Chloe's room. My t-shirt, skin, and my side of the mattress feel a little damp; another downside of the night terrors. I feel desperately thirsty, and know I won't be able to sleep again tonight, so I reluctantly pry myself away from her warm embrace, careful not to disturb her, and make my way out of bed. I grab my phone to look at the time. The light blinds me and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the screen.

SATURDAY  
04:57AM

I close Chloe's door behind me and head down the stairs, as carefully as I can in the dim light. When I reach the bottom I notice a figure sitting at the dining table; their back is to me but they are illuminated by the laptop in front of them. I stand there and have an internal debate with myself; '_is curing my thirst really worth an argument with David? I suppose the best case is we just awkwardly nod to each other... worst case, he'll get angry at me for getting him kicked out. I can't avoid him forever... but I could maybe sneak on through. I always have my powers to avoid awkward situations anyway._' I stealthily approach the kitchen cupboard, take out a glass and hold it below the tap. I don't know why I expected the sudden gush of water to be a quiet affair and I cringe as I see David jump a little at the sudden noise.

"Sorry," I whisper to him, "I didn't want to disturb you." '_Or for you to disturb me..._'

"Hey squirt, can't sleep?" I freeze. '_That's not David's voice..._' I stand there motionless, staring at the tap in front me, too scared to look to my right because I know who that voice belongs to, and I know that he shouldn't be here. And yet...

"William..." I finally squeak out, after he turns on the kitchen lights.

"Everything ok Max?" He is stood next to me now, just in front of the fridge. I turn to look at him, stood in one of his old country singer t-shirts and flower shorts, which I assume he sleeps in. He's definitely William.

It takes me a moment but I nod at him, "just uhh... bad dreams", I answer. '_How is this possible? Did I come back to the wrong timeline? No, I definitely remember David being here yesterday, we awkwardly avoided each other..._'

"Ah, I think I have a cure for that!" His infectious smile reminds me of Chloe and the good times. He opens the fridge beside him and makes a show of rummaging around, "no... no... ah, here we are!" I can't help but chuckle at his efforts. "Cookies and milk!" True to word, he has a carton of milk in one hand and a plate of home-baked cookies in the other. "Come, this is our only chance before you-know-who gobbles them all down." I know who he's referring to, of course. You can't hide food from Chloe. I follow him to the table and take my seat. As he goes back into the kitchen to fetch a couple of mugs, I notice a few other changes that I couldn't see before in the dark. On the far wall there's a large flat screen TV and a new settee sits in front of it. The carpet is new, and no longer bares the memory of two little girls playing with wine. Everything else appears to be the same, besides a few more framed photographs hanging on the walls, though I can not make out the details from this distance. '_Is this another dream? Another vision?_' I ask myself.

*clunk* the sound of the mugs being placed on the table draws my focus. William's mug reads 'DAD OF THE YEAR' where the '2009' has been crossed out with permanent marker and instead someone has wrote 'EVERY YEAR'. William fills the other mug with milk, on the side is a cartoon of two pandas lying besides each other, and passes it to me before filling up his own mug. I take a sip, and the first cookie, and thank him.

"What were they about?" He sees my look of confusion, "your dreams?"

'_Just endlessly reliving that time I killed a town_,' "Just school and stuff..." I don't know if he believes my answer but I wonder if it really matters in this... dream?

"I can't believe you're in your final year," he smiles and takes another bite of his cookie, "feels like yesterday when you moved in with us."

I nod, smile and thank him for taking me in. I always hated the fact that, moving through timelines doesn't magically give you the memories of the life you replaced. I am ashamed that I have grown used to faking some other Max's life.

"It was our pleasure Max. You know Joyce and I love having you around... not as much as Chloe though." That last part was a little quieter.

"Sorry?" I ask him, absent-mindedly.

"Ah, nothing, the two of you will figure it out." I realise what he's getting at, '_I guess Chloe and I haven't reached the kissing stage in this... dream? timeline?_' I am still unsure which. '_We're probably both afraid of ruining our friendship, even though the truth leads to something a million times better._' I return another smile to William.

"What were you working on so late?" My nosey nature always gets the better of me, "if you don't mind me asking," I hasten to add.

William chuckles a little, "could never keep anything from you Max." He turns his laptop to face me and on the screen I see pictures of Rome, and notes on hotels and restaurants, "just planning our next adventure."

"Rome?!" I ask, incredulously. The expression William returns makes me realise I've goofed.

"Of course, it was your idea Max, don't you remember? The pair of you worked so hard to convince Joyce to fly internationally again." There was a lot to unpack here, '_why would they listen to my vacation suggestions, and they've been outside the states before_?'

"I just... wasn't sure if it'd actually been confirmed yet." I make my excuse before taking another swig of milk.

"I guess I don't blame you. After seeing Joyce vomiting everywhere on the last flight, it must have killed your dreams of flying with us again." '_What?_'

"I never lost hope." '_Just keep winging it Max, say what they expect you to say. Would it be risky to ask about the last trip?_' "The trip was worth it though, right?"

"Absolutely! My legs still haven't recovered after that trek though." He makes a show of rubbing his weak legs and shaking his head.

I laugh and reply, "it wasn't that far!" I think it's a safe comment, regardless of whatever length it actually was.

"You're kidding, right? It took us literally _days_ to trek to Machu Picchu." He laughs with me, it's a bittersweet feeling to be laughing with him again.

'_I need more_', "Can I see your vacation photos again?"

"Ah Max, I think they're technically your photos. You took most of them." As he is speaking, he stands up to fetch a binder from one of the cabinets and brings it back to the table. "It has been a real privilege watching your skills grow over the years."

The maroon binder is placed in front of me, while William clears away the now empty mugs and heads into the kitchen to clean up. The front of the binder reads 'The worldly adventures of the Price family' and below that, in a little goofs handwriting, reads 'and their first mate, Caulfield.' I can't help but smile at her antics, yet I grow nervous as I open up the front cover. On the very first page there is a photograph of Chloe looking at the camera, whilst the Statue of the Liberty stands in the background. Her usual sweet smile is directed at the camera. I flick through page after page, occasionally I am in a photo, but they mostly seem to be of Chloe either posing or seemingly unaware. '_You took most of them_,' I remember William saying, as I look through all the pictures of a happy Chloe, all throughout her teenage years. '_I guess I have been living with them for a while, or just vacationing with them a lot_'. It's getting harder and harder to hold back the tears, as I think of the happy life that Chloe could have had. I find a photo that makes me pause; it's one of Chloe and I staring at each other with the Eiffel tower in the background, we look about 15 or 16 in the picture. 'W_e even made it to Paris, but gosh..._' in the photo, there is a clear expression of adoration on both our faces, '_the tension must be obvious to everyone except the Max and Chloe of this timeline... or dream_'. I continue to stare at the photo, I hear whispers and the lines of reality become a little blurred. It is a tempting invitation, to go through the photo and experience this moment with her. '_I could go there, just for a few seconds. I won't say or do anything, just enjoy that happy moment with... No!_' It takes all of my willpower, but I tear myself away from the photograph and close the binder before me. '_It wouldn't be right... what if I went and messed up this timeline, undid all of these happy adventures?' _I curse at myself and cup my head in my hands. '_Their lives are so perfect here... and I'm on the verge of screwing it all up for them?_'

"See something you didn't want to?" I lift up my head and see William now hovering besides me.

"Ah, no, I guess I'm just tired."

"My infamous sleeping cure worked once again!"

I can't help but chuckle at him, he reminds me so much of the woman I love. Or, I guess, she takes after him. "It sure did... thank you William."

"There's one more cookie left, want?" he offers the plate to me. I am tempted to take it but at the last minute refuse.

"I can't... or she won't speak to me all morning."

"Ah we can't have that can..." he suddenly stops, plate in hand, he is staring at the wall behind me. "That's not possible..." there is something about his tone that sends a chill down my spine. I stand and turn to see what's behind me, it doesn't take me long to realise that the living room has changed. The TV is no longer the large prized flatscreen, but the old CRT I am used to. "Am I going crazy?" William asks.

I keep my eyes on the living room, watching the photographs on the wall disappear one by one. I feel a sense of dread but I answer anyway, "you're not crazy, I see it too." After a moment of reflection I add "I think, in a moment, everything will return to normal for you." '_How many times have you been taken away from us William?_'

"What do you mean?" he asks as the settee suddenly turns back to the way it was.

"I mean... it doesn't matter, everything will be okay..." I try to convince myself as well as him. "if I am around after this, I won't remember what we spoke about tonight, sorry." The look of sheer confusion on his face hurts me. "William..." I start, unsure of what to say in these final moments. In the corner of my eye I see the wine stain return to the carpet, but I have his full attention now. "I promise I will do my best to make my Chloe just as happy as she is here."

"I have no idea what's going on, but I know Chloe will be happy wherever you-"

In such a small moment, I am left alone and feeling empty in the darkness of Chloe's dining room. I collapse to the ground, unable to stop the flow of tears that follow.

When I am empty, I collect myself and make my way back up the stairs. I gently open the door to Chloe's room and step inside, being careful not to wake up anybody else. I tip toe to the bed and admire the woman sprawled out before me, '_gosh_,' I think, '_I will never grow tired of her_.' I slowly lean into the bed and lie down beside her, wrapping my arm around her and holding her as close as I can without risking waking her up. "I hope I can make you happy," I whisper to her.


	7. Winners

**CHLOE**

* * *

My eyes are open before I am fully awake and I see the wonderful sight of a freckly-faced hipster lying in front me, her arm is wrapped around me and I can feel her hand gently rubbing my back.

"Hey," she whispers to me, "you're awake."

"So observant, did you learn that in photography clas-", I wince as I suddenly realise the fuck up, "Sorry, I'm an idiot," but the girl is already giggling before I even finish apologising.

"You're such a goof," I am smitten by the smile she returns to me and I can't help but smile back. I feel more awake now.

"What's our plan for today?" I ask, hoping to endlessly repeat the past couple of days spent with her.

"Anything you want Chloe."

"How about we watch some hardcore lesb-" I start but I feel a little pinch on my back, "ow!" I get my own back by tickling her. It's pleasant to hear Max's little giggles. After some time I stop and we both collapse back on the bed, enjoying the moment with each other.

She turns back to me and puts her arm back around me. "Chloe..."

"Yes?"

"What would you do if you had money?"

"Hookers and blow?"

"Chloe!"

"Ok, ok. How much money?" I sense she wants an honest answer.

"Enough to do whatever you wanted."

I think a little, "hmm, I'd buy you the most expensive camera I could find."

She smiles but adds, "Chloe, you don't need to buy me anything, I'm content with just having you." Her words are so sweet and warm. "Let me rephrase... what would you do if neither of us had to worry about money ever again?" I begin to see where this is going.

"You thinking of robbing a bank?"

"Only if I have my partner in crime with me," my Max smirks.

"Wait, are you serious?" I sit up and lean on my elbow.

She chuckles, "no... but I've been thinking about the best way for us to get some money, without any attention or anybody being hurt."

"That is so like you, dork. So what's your master plan? Blackjack?"

"We're too young to go to a casino and stock markets are too long term to be helpful. We're the right age to buy a lottery ticket for tonight though."

"Uhh, aren't the winners published or something? I thought you didn't want attention."

"I think they're only published if they win a certain amount."

"So let me get this straight... you want to use your powers to win the lottery, but just enough to not draw attention?" Max nods and I laugh. "I can't imagine many people would have your restraint Max. If I'd been given your powers, I'd be unstoppable."

"Oh? What would you do with these powers?"

"I'd stop you from leaving, for a start." I see her wince a little bit, and I wish I thought a bit more before I spoke.

"Chloe..."

"It's okay Max, I know you-"

"Let me say," she interrupts, "I will always feel guilty for abandoning you but you gotta understand it wasn't entirely my choice."

"Not your choice to send me one single text in five years?" I feel a burning anger rising in me as I think on all the texts I sent that didn't receive a response.

"I'm not like you Chloe! When I got to Seattle I wanted to text you, I wanted to phone you but I didn't know what say after William..." she pauses, "I tried writing letters and texts and dialling your number but the longer the silence went on, the more afraid I'd get that you hated me or something."

"Max.." my anger dissipates, I hold her tighter to me. "I know I can get angry sometimes but I'd never hate you! I never did hate you... hell, even in my darkest moments, if I'd got a single text from you I would have... " I pause for a moment, thinking what to say next.

"Would have what?" She asks

"I would have jumped for joy Max. Ok, maybe I would have been a bit cross with you, but I would have been so happy to hear from you. I would have come running to Seattle so fast..."

"Chloe, I'm so sorry. I thought about you always but I never thought you'd feel like that, I just thought you would have forgotten about me..."

"There you go with your doubts again. I could never forget about you Max, I'll cherish you forever." I brush my lips against hers and we kiss.

After a moment of us longing into one another's eyes, Max speaks up again. "That's the first time you told me that."

"What? I know-"

"I mean, you never told me in the other timelines."

"Ah," a part of me feels jealous of other Chloe's that she's spent time with, possibly more time than I have, but I have to keep reassuring myself that they are me. "What was I like, in these other times?"

"You were you, Chloe. You were always you, the woman I'm crazy for." This time she invites me in for a kiss. "Those times were like, your short term alternate futures, but they were all you."

"Is my jealousy that obvious?"

The adorable girl in front of me smirks, "I just know you, you goof."

"In these other timelines... did we..."

"Are you kidding? You couldn't keep your hands off me! I'm surprised you've held off this long." I feel emboldened by her response, and move one hand on to her hips and gradually up to her ribs, before moving back down to her hip. Max looks me in the eye as she bites her lip and I am driven wild.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

My head rests on Chloe's naked and sweaty chest, pushed up and down by her rhythmic breathing. With my right hand I draw circles around her bully button. "Wowzers," I whisper.

The punk below me gives a soft chuckle, "shut up, dork." I take in this moment of blissful peace in the arms of the woman I love. "You're not as innocent as I thought Max.. where did you learn _that_?"

"Oh you know," I tilt my head up and softly nibble at the base of her neck, "let's just say I've become a bit of an expert in Chloe-nom-ics." I tease but I really hope she is as satisfied as I am.

"God you are so fucking adork-able. I love you too much."

"Mmm, I love you too Chloe." I rest my head back down on her chest, savouring this moment. Suddenly I feel the weight of a thousand disturbed sleeps pull on my eyelids. I hear the comforting sound of Chloe's heart echo through her chest. '_Are those beats for me_?' I ask myself, before sleep finally takes me.

* * *

I wake naturally to the pleasant sounds of birds, from a sleep unbroken by the recurring memory of a tragedy. My Chloe pillow is still here beneath me, unmoved and sticky from our embrace. I try to be light on my movements as I lift myself away from her, only to see that she is already awake.

"You're awake," she is the first to speak.

"So observant, did you learn that in goofology?" I tease her.

"Har har," she sarcastically replies as I lift a leg over and straddle her, "I actually figured it out when I could breathe again. Seriously Max, your head is like a bowling ball-" I interrupt her with a kiss.

"Where we asleep for long?" I ask the punk below me.

"We? Just you Max, and you were out for hours"

"Hours?! Why didn't you wake me?" I playfully slap her.

"Max..." her tone becomes quite serious. "Do you think I don't see what's happening to you? You barely eat anything anymore, and do you ever sleep?"

I nod slightly and whisper, "some."

"What's eating at you?" I give her a look that speaks _'are you serious?_'. "Ok, stupid question." She is stroking my thighs when I get off from the top of her and sit beside her. She sits up to be at the same level as me and places one arm around me. "I want to help you Max."

"I know Chloe. Believe it or not you already do a hella lot for me, just being here with me has helped a lot. That nap was the best sleep I've had in a long time."

"Then I'm glad I let you sleep," she squeezes me closer to her, "I'm never going to leave you Max."

"I think it would actually destroy me if I lost you." There is a pause while I realize the implications of what I just said, "I don't mean to like, guilt trip you into staying with me or anything, I didn't mean it like that."

"Chillax Max... I already said I'm never leaving you, why would I ever give you up?" Her words warm my soul as much as her body warms my own. This moment is perfection, but I know deep down that it can not last. I know from my coma dreams and last night's experience that more tragedies are to come. Ironically, just as I think on the coming unknown, we hear a shout come from downstairs. "Sounds like Joyce is back from her morning shift, lunch?"

I nod and reluctantly leave Chloe's embrace, yet eager to sample Joyce's cooking. As we're looking around for our clothes, tossed aside during this morning's passionate moments, I turn to Chloe and say "I think maybe it's time we start telling people."

"You think they'll believe you?" I stand there motionless and confused, it takes me a moment to realize our paths are crossed.

"About us, you goof!" I throw her socks at her.

"Ooh! You sure Max?"

I nod, "starting with Joyce!"

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

"Do you not want your picture taken before we go down?" I remember the routine.

The girl with the frazzled hair looks back at me and shakes her head, "No, I don't have many polaroids left. I think we should save it for buying the ticket later."

"Wait, are we actually going to do this?"

"I think she deserves to know," Max smirks.

"Har har, I mean about the lotto you dork." I reply and Max nods."Besides, don't you need to pay back Frank?"

'_Fuck_' I think, '_I keep forgetting about Frank. It probably doesn't help that I keep ignoring his texts and missed calls._' "Uhh... yeah, there is that. Coulda done that a while ago if not for Little Miss Integrity." I grumble the last part.

With my hand on my bedroom door handle, Max speaks up, "Wait, I forgot to tell you..."

"Can it wait? Your weighty head has been pushing on my bladder for hours, I'm surprised you didn't wake up in a golden river."

"You're so gross!" She squeals.

"You head on down and we'll speak about it later." She gives me a nod and I head into the bathroom to relieve myself.

* * *

'_Holy shit, are we actually going to win the lottery?_' I ask myself as the water splashes on my face. I take my pirate towel from the rack and dry myself off. '_How has my life turned from utter shit to amazeballs in just a few weeks?_' The answer comes to me instantly. '_Max. We had some ups and downs in that first week, and then there was the coma, but fuck, the past few days have been awesome_.' I open the door to the bathroom and descend down the stairs. '_Not to mention the fucking, where did that come from? And where did she learn how to do that... should I be jealous?_' As I approach the bottom of the stairs I hear the soft giggles of a loveable dork and as I turn around at the bottom I see her sitting at the table, talking to my Mother with a huge grin on her face. '_I hope this lasts forever._'

As I walk past the entrance to the kitchen I hear the ding of the microwave, "I'll get it!" I shout to the pair sitting at the table. However, I find that David is already in there, taking out the nuked remains of last night's lasagna. "Oh" I mumble.

"It's okay Chloe, I got it." He says to me, but as I turn to leave he grabs my attention "Wait a sec Chloe!"

"What is it now?" I huff.

He approaches me and whispers to me, "I had a disturbing call with Officer Berry this morning..."

'_Here we go_,' "What did I do this time?" I ask him.

"It's not... no, Chloe... You've done nothing. They've been going through Nathan's belongings and one of the photos they found... it was of you Chloe. It broke my heart to hear about it. I wish I could have done more to protect you, why didn't you tell us?"

"Tell us what?" Joyce asks as she walks into the kitchen to fetch some water.

"Nothing honey," David pacifies my Mother and she leaves the kitchen, as thoughts whirl through my head.

'_Please tell me I'm dressed in the photo, please, please, please..._' "You wouldn't have believed me," I whisper solemnly.

"I..." he starts to defend himself, "I guess I can see why you think that, that's on me." He really has changed in the past week or so, maybe Max was right. "There's something else Chloe, the police want to speak to you."

'_Ah fuck_' "Why?"

"They're going to need a statement. I asked them to give you a few days at least."

"Well we all know I'm good at statements." This actually gets a laugh out of David, I don't recall ever seeing him laugh before. It's odd. "What about..." I subtlety nod in Max's direction.

"There's no evidence of... I'm told the folder was empty Chloe and there are no photos, so she's not on their radar. So she would have to come forward BUT" He raises his voice slightly, anticipating my reaction, "I know how you feel here. I'm not going to interfere, for now, but she should be given the option to speak to the police if she wants to. The evidence against Mark is slim."

"Ok," '_fuck this whole thing_' I think as I move to sit by my beloved.

* * *

'_What does the picture show? Is it just me? Am I clothed? Is it being passed around the station right now for everyone to oogle at?_' The thoughts keep cycling through my head as we quietly eat lunch. '_Is this how Kate felt?'_

The touch of Max's hand brings me back to reality, and reminds me of what I have in this moment. I squeeze her hand, look to her and give her a little reassuring smile.

"Joyce...we wanted to tell you something." Max speaks up, quite seriously. I had forgot about Max's intentions and realize my reassurance may have been misinterpreted somewhat. Still, what does it matter?

"What's up sugar?" Joyce asks as David looks on.

"We... umm... The thing is... Chloe is... " Max squirms and I grin. '_Am I a sadist for enjoying this?_' I ask myself.

"What's she done now?" David asks.

I am about to respond sarcastically when Max speaks up to defend me. "Nothing! Nothing wrong anyway... Well maybe... She did steal something from me."

"Oh?" Joyce asks the little hipster.

"My heart." She responds, immediately blushing. I am smitten by her adorable demeanour.

"Max is trying to say that we're dating." I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her towards me, proud to announce to the world that Max is with me. Max's face turns a deeper shade of red and buries her face in my shoulder.

"Oh is that all? We already knew that," Joyce adds and David nods, "we were making bets this morning on when you'd eventually tell us."

"How did you know?" Max asks from my shoulder, I am less surprised.

"Oh honey, you've not been very subtle about it. The way you two look at each, how you speak to and about each other, how you hold hands... it's cute really. Then there's the fact you two have not left each other's sides in over a week, even when you were in a coma."

Max separates herself from me and asks "so you don't mind? The two of us...?"

Joyce smirks. "Chloe hasn't sat peacefully with us in years, not until the last few days. You're a good influence on her, and you always were a part of the family Max." Sometimes I can't believe that Max is actually here, I had waited on her for so long. Now here we are, announcing our relationship to my mother. I feel like I'm on top of the world.

"So what do you two have planned for the rest of the day?" David asks us both.

"Just normal everyday adventures," Max gives them a smile.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

"Ok, so after you take the photo I will read out six numbers, write them down on the back of the photo." I inform the punk sat at the driving wheel of her truck.

"Ok Max, I can do that... you ready?"

I nod but a part of me is terrified of what's to come. Chloe aims the camera at me and clicks, remembering to disable the flash. I open my eyes, fearful of what's to come.

"That was so cool." Chloe shows me the back of the photograph.

**5 20 28 43 19 13**

The innocent looking squiggles signal my doom; I know instantly that I will not be the one that will enjoy the rewards with Chloe. "Chloe.." I try to speak up, but she has already left the truck, way too eager to buy the ticket.

"Keep up slowpoke!" Chloe shouts back towards me, already a foot in the door of the shop across the street.

I decide to leave the truck and wait nearby, enjoying the remainder of the Fall weather. Although the dark clouds in the distance make me feel uneasy. The lack of birdsong is worrying but I put it to the back of my mind. It does not take long at all for Chloe to come back, ticket in hand.

"I got it!" We both hop back into the truck, "what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh... " I look at her again, she seems so happy and carefree, "it's nothing. What do you wanna do now?" I decide to just enjoy these last few hours.

* * *

The numbers appear one after the other on the TV in Chloe's living room. Fortunately Joyce and David have gone out for the evening. The sound of light rain patters against the glass door to our side.

**43 7 20 5 28 1**

"Holy shitballs, we got four numbers!" Chloe is ecstatic, jumping around and waving the ticket in the air. "Max! Max you're so amazing" She hugs me tightly. It is heartwarming to see her happy dancing; I want to share in her joy yet I can't escape the feelings of my impending doom. "What's wrong Max?"

"I'm really happy for you Chloe.."

"For me? Don't you mean us both?"

"You and... another version of me, yeah."

"What? I don't understand."

"In a little bit I'm going to lose all memory of the adventures I had with you this afternoon. I won't remember our woodlands trek, our little play sword fight or the ice cream by the beach. I loved absolutely every minute of it Chloe."

"I'm happy you had fun Max but I still don't understand, why is your memory going to disappear?"

"Time travel is a bitch, Chloe. I was hoping that it would be my consciousness that got to spend their life with you but, when you showed me the numbers in the car I knew... I knew what was coming."

"You're kinda scaring me right now Max."

I look at the time on my phone. 19:06, still several minutes before the end.

"When I travel through a photo, my consciousness travels back in time to the body of a younger version of myself. I do something to change the timeline and return to my original time, right? In the gap between those points there is a version of Max living her life the way that Max does, probably playing pirates with her Captain. Then when it gets to the _original_ time, bam!, the returning Max overwrites the consciousness of the stand in."

"I think I get it... fuck. Why do you keep looking at your phone?"

19:08

"Because original Max left a message for me, telling me when my time is up."

"I don't remember-"

"It doesn't matter."

There is a moment of silence before Chloe asks, "why didn't you tell me Max?"

"I tried to, at the start, but you were so happy and I didn't want to make your day miserable."

"Max, you gotta stop hiding things from me! Your job isn't to make me happy, you do that with already with your company."

"I know, I know Chloe. It's not that I want to hide stuff from you, it's just there's so much to unpack for myself to deal with."

"Max..."

19:12

"Besides, it's kinda pointless telling me this, I'm not going to exist in a minute." I start to cry, Chloe holds me in a tight hug.

"Is this the first time it's happened to you?"

"It will always be the first time Chloe. It's not fair, I know in a minute I will still be with you but it won't be _me_ me, I won't get to spend any more time with you. I won't get to hear Kate's violin of an evening or eat any more of Joyce's waffles." I sniffle. "I'm scared Chloe," the tears come thick.

"Max," I can feel a wetness on my neck, I assume Chloe is also crying. "Max I will always love you, you smelly dork."

"I lov-"

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

"Whoa, hello there." Max pulls back from my embrace, her demeanour had changed drastically to the _normal_ girl I remember.

"Max?" I ask, rubbing the tears from my face.

"That's me!" She leans in to kiss me but I pull back. "What's wrong?" She looks hurt.

"What's wrong? I feel like I just put you to sleep Max, what the fuck?"

"Oh," only now does she realize her cheeks are wet, rubs them with the back of her sleeve and checks the source, "what happened?" she looks more serious now.

"Max... fuck..." I pull her back into a tight hug. "I don't know if I can go through that again, you knew you were going to be replaced and it was heart-wrenching. It was some serious tears-in-rain time-to-die shit Max, and you know I choke up at that scene."

"That sounds horrible Chloe, I'm so sorry. I just had the same experience with another version of you."

"What?"

"Before I travelled through the photo, I had to say goodbye to you."

"Ffffffuuuuck... you have to say your goodbyes every time you travel back?"

"I didn't at first, when my powers were new. I honestly don't know if other timelines exist at the same time, maybe all those future Chloe's are living their lives with other Max's... or maybe this is it and I'm continually overwriting myself and destroying timelines."

"How the fuck do you stand up straight with all this weight Max?"

"Simple," she smiles, "I have you!" I lean in to kiss her and she happily returns it.

"Let's try to avoid that in future, eh Max?"

The smaller girl nods at me and we hug. "Sorry if it was a lot for you, I guess we should face facts here... this isn't going to be a normal relationship."

"Normal is overrated Max," I give her a squeeze.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

"Normal is overrated Max," Chloe squeezes me tighter in her warm, soft embrace.

I purr into her neck, "so how much did we win?"

"I don't know yet," she responds.

"Have you spent it all yet?"

The punk chuckles, "only in my head. We'll get the most expensive truck and just wait till you see some of the depraved shit we're getting for the bedroom."

"Chloe!" I break the embrace and lazily slap her shoulder, "we gotta be wise with it, okay? Money is no longer going to be a problem for us, but we can't pull up to Blackwell in a pimped out SUV."

"I know, I know, I swear I'll have the teeniest bit of restraint."

"Good."

"I notice you didn't say no to the toys," I chuckle and give her a wink before turning away.

Chloe's kitchen disappears, along with everything inside and outside of it, and is replaced by a beach.

"Chloe?" I ask but I hear nothing beyond my own voice. The scene in front of me is like a photograph; a frozen moment in time similar to the one outside of the Blackwell dorms some weeks ago. I take in everything that I can. I feel the movement of the sand underneath my feet and the blaring heat of the sun over my head. In the distance there are palm trees guarding the street, motionless cars and stagnant store fronts beyond. Hundreds of people are scattered along the beach, each frozen in time, but each running towards the street. I see panic in the faces of some who are looking behind them, behind me. I take a deep breath and turn, expecting to see another giant storm. Instead I am greeted by an enormous wall of water, taller than any building in Arcadia Bay and stretching to the horizon in both directions. The frozen moment ends and time resumes it's course, in an instant the wall of water crashes into me.

"Max!"

I gasp for air and find myself sitting by Chloe's dining table, with a hand on my back she repeats my name.

"Chloe," I respond by embracing her and crying into her shoulder.

"What happened Max?"

"I had another vision." I tell her.

"Another storm?"

"Something maybe worse. I saw a giant wave Chloe, I saw a tsunami."

"Fuck." The punk has a way with words. "Do you know when?"

I shake my head, "or where," I add and continue to cry into her shoulder.

"Max... look" I turn to look behind me. "What's happening?" The punk asks.

Chloe stands up, moves to the glass door and opens it before stepping outside. I cautiously approach the boundary and observe the phenomena outside. As I watch, raindrops move from the ground and upwards into the sky. I stretch out my hand hoping to catch some as they 'fall' from the ground, but instead I find the drops form on the top of my hand and 'spring' up into the air.

"What the hell is going on Max?" Chloe is stood outside, patches of her oscillate between wet and dry as the drops form out of nothing and leap from her body.

"I wish I knew Chloe." I wish I knew, but something tells me the answers will not come so easy.


	8. Changes

**KATE**

* * *

It feels like I have been lying here for over an hour, staring at my bedroom wall. I like the wall; it doesn't try to argue with me, it doesn't mock me in the hallways or tell me how much of a disappointment I am. I don't have the energy to deal with that anymore.

My phone buzzes on the floor behind me. '_Not another_,' I think back to the messages from my Mother and her sister, and the darkness that follows. '_It would have been so much easier if I'd just..._' I think back to the dorm's rooftop, now securely locked and out of reach.

Another buzz echoes through the floor.

"Please just leave me alone," I quietly beg the world while I push my head downwards, shrinking myself into a fetal position. I wonder if I can just stay here all day and avoid everyone outside, as I did yesterday and the day before. It was easier then but today is Monday; it's the first day that I'm supposed to be back in classes since I made a show to everyone... for a second time. '_I could just tell them I'm not feeling well_,' I try to make excuses in my head.

After the third buzz I feel, for the briefest of moments, a burning rage inside of me. "For fuck's sake can you just..." I shout as I turn behind me to fetch my phone, but the anger fades as quickly as it came. It doesn't take a moment for me to reflect on what I have just done. I don't remember the last time I raised my voice in anger, much longer since I cursed like that.

'_I don't recognise who I am anymore. Was I always like this underneath it all?'_

"Lord, I am sorry for my outburst. Please give me the strength to... to be." I whisper a prayer through tears.

I realize I am still holding on to my phone, grabbed in a moment of anger which thankfully faded before I hurled the phone across the room. I take a look at the messages, all of them are from Max.

"Heyyyyy early-bird, come to my room in five for some delicious morning tea!"  
08:30

"I have batmobile, early grey, footlong and many others I'm keen to try :-)"  
08:31

"Don't leave a girl hanging now :'( "  
08:34

I feel calmer after reading her messages. I'm not in the mood for tea right now, but curiosity gets the better of me. I type a reply to Max.

"Batmobile tea?"  
08:37

The response I get comes only half a minute later when a soft thud comes from my bedroom door. "Quick, this is hot!" her voice is muffled. I jump to my feet and swing open the door to find Max, illuminated by the light from the hallway. She stands with a small porcelain teapot in one hand, two cups in the other, and a little wooden box tucked under her arm. I don't even have time to greet her before she rushes past me to place the teapot and mugs on to my desk. I close the door behind her and the room sinks into darkness again.

"Let me risk a little more light," I hear her mumble as she switches on the table lamp. She turns back to me beaming, her infectious smile pulls at my own lips. "Good morning," she exclaims, "I bring you tea!" She opens up the small wooden box beside her. As I get nearer I see the bags under her eyes, shadowed by the dim light.

"Hello Max, what's this for?" I ask, wondering why she's bringing tea to me. I'm not really worth this kind of hassle.

"To make tea, doofus". I chuckle, turn my attention to the box and flip through the small packages within, each containing a bag of a different variety of tea. I pull out a small green package when a marking catches my eye, it's a cartoon drawing of a bat.

"Batmobile tea?" I ask her, holding the defaced chamomile packet.

The freckly girl shrugs, "I couldn't spell chamomile."

"It's a bit... tenuous," but I still giggle at her. "I can guess you meant earl grey, but footlong?"

Max rummages through the box and pulls out a little package. Underneath the word Oolong she has drawn a long foot. "Footlong!" She exclaims.

I continue to laugh at her silly jokes as we settle down on the floor for some morning tea. After a while Max starts to scratch at her left arm, and abruptly changes the subject. I've known her long enough to recognise her anxiety. "Do you use Facebook at all?" she asks out of nowhere.

"Umm... not recently." '_Not since all of the perverse messages, some from complete strangers asking me to..._' I shudder.

"Youuuu might not have seen then. Uhh... I made an announcement there yesterday... Hmm..." She struggles to say.

I try to help her out, "Max, what's eating you?"

"Who..." she quickly responds, puts her hand to her red face and mumbles, "I'm actually turning into her."

"What?" I ask in confusion.

"You know Chloe, right?" I nod. "Well, me and her are kinda..."

"Dating?"

She seems stunned, "How?" she asks.

"I think it's pretty obvious Max, even to people like me." I feel a little irritated in her assumptions but I know she doesn't mean to offend. "The way you two look at each other and how you act. It's cute really."

"Her Mom said the same thing," Max responds, a red tinge appearing on her cheeks. "Is it really that obvious?" I nod, "and you don't mind?"

I was waiting for this and I know where she's coming from. I suppose a lot of people think of my Mother and her sister when it comes to issues like this. "Jesus teaches us to love our neighbours Max, not hate. I'm really glad that you get to experience it." Max beams a huge smile of relief.

"Thank you Kate, it really means a lot to me." I hear the vibration of her phone but she doesn't immediately react.

"How did everyone else respond?" I ask her, more to make conversation rather than to gossip.

"A mix of opinions but we both expected it. Brooke was ecstatic, Warren not so much. A few messages telling us to kill our... umm, a few messages of hate but mostly supportive, whether they mean it or not is a different thing." She explains.

"What about your parents?"

Max sighs before answering, "one hurdle at a time Kate." I suppose I understand the reluctance. After a while of idle chatter, discussing who the bigots and the saints of Blackwell were, Max looks at her phone and smiles. "We should start making a move if you're going to shower," she says, not looking away from her phone as she types away.

"Sorry?" I ask in confusion.

"We have that assembly thing in half an hour. You're coming, right?" There is something about her eager and happy expression that I can't directly say no to.

"Well... " I think back to all of the students talking behind my back, whispering and laughing, "I uhh..." Max grabs my hand.

"Look, I'm going to be with you all day. If you don't feel up to it then we can skip lessons. I can get my laptop and we can watch cheesy TV and drink tea till our bellies burst."

"That does sound nice..." I confess.

"But... I think it'd be better if we went to lessons today. I think that the longer we leave it, the harder it will be."

I know she's right, and I suppose the darkness I felt ten minutes ago is ever so slightly lighter. "Maybe... we can try." I yield.

"Excellent" she hops up, "let's get cleaned up."

* * *

**CHLOE**

* * *

Even with my music blaring the house seems quiet as hell. Max slept in her own dorm room last night; our first time apart since she woke up from her coma. This emptiness feels different to when Rachel and I were separated, usually that was because of an argument and we were both pissed. This time I just miss Max like hell.

'_What a dork,_' I smirk and think of all her lovable quirks '_the girl prophecies the end of the fucking universe and still worries about missing classes.'_ In the past I would have filled the void with a toke but this time I reach for my phone.

"morning dork you sleep okay?"

I type away. I know what her reply will be, she'll pretend to be fine even if she suffered the worst night imaginable. The response comes a few minutes later.

"You're awake, at this time? :o"

"couldn't sleep"

"Oh no, what's wrong?"

I adore her.

"nothing a good dose of Maximillion wouldn't cure. when you free?"

I pretend not to know when her lessons end and I can see her again.

"Not for aaaaages :'( Pizza at mine tonight? You can help me do more research."

I know what research she means, and I would do it for her, but it's hard to find a place when the description is just a beach with palm trees and a nearby road. It hardly narrows things down.

"chloe price. research assistant. has a nice ring to it, dontcha think?"

"The best =D"  
"I gotta go Chlo, taking Kate to the assembly then it's classes"

"you suck!"

"I know... and you love it."

I do.

"smell you later dork"

"Love you too xx"

I put my phone back down on the desk and look at the monitor in front of me. '_Who'da thought there were so many different types of cameras?_' I ask myself as I scroll through the endless list on Amazon. '_I know she doesn't want me to spend the winnings on her but... what else am I going to spend it on? There's only so much crack a gal can buy._' After some more scrolling and reading of reviews, I think I hear a noise downstairs. I don't think I would have cared so much in the past, but maybe all these close encounters with death have put me on edge a little bit. I pause the music and listen out for the noise, but I am relieved to find it's only the front door. I cautiously make my way down stairs, wondering who could be knocking.

"Ms Price?" I recognise the voice through the door as I've had to listen to it a bunch of times before, "it's officer Berry here. We just want to talk to you."

David had warned me about this, about the photo of me they found in Nathan's room. At the time I didn't want to know and when Max saw I was distracted she confessed she'd seen it... and left it at the scene. I gotta say I was pretty pissed off when she told me. Sometimes I don't get why she does things like this, and her memory of things seems all over the place. At least she was there to comfort me, after the shouting died down anyway, and to tell me what was in the photo. I was relieved when I found out I was fully clothed.

I open the door and see Berry standing there, behind him is a cop I've seen before but never spoken to.

"Hello Chloe, may we come in?" Berry asks.

"I..." I want to tell them to fuck off. '_Where were they when we were looking for Rachel?_' Still, I've no real reason to turn them away so I sigh, say "I guess so" and guide the two cops inside towards the living room.

"We won't take too much of your time." The second cop says as they both sit down on the same side of the kitchen table. I have no choice but to sit opposite them. "I am Officer Firth by the way, I don't think we've met before." I give my standard grunt.

"I'm gonna guess that you know why we're here?" Berry asks me.

I nod without looking at them, '_this is so fucking uncomfortable_'.

"Would you like to tell us about it?" The second cop asks.

"No." I say immediately and scornfully. There is a silence from the both of them. "No I don't." I'd rather never think about him again.

"I can under-" Berry starts, but I don't want to hear the patronising words that follow, so I interrupt.

"You brought it with you, didn't you?" Berry looks at Firth and nods, who in turn pulls out a photograph from his jacket pocket, encased within a plastic bag. Firth places the bag on the table and slides it towards me.

Bravado asked to see the photograph, but the rest of me doesn't want to look at it. Each time I try to look my vision blurs and I turn my head away. I take a breath, trying to collect myself, and attempt to calmly look at the photo placed in front of me. I see myself, or someone who looks like me, lying on the floor. Clothed. I feel violated to look at myself in a position of vulnerability, completely unaware. It kinda feels like I am looking at a photograph of a clone, of someone who was a victim of a tragedy, not me.

My tough exterior starts to crumble and my eyes begin to water. I turn away from the photo and in the direction of the TV. In the corner of my eye I see Firth reach for the bag and place it back in his jacket.

"Ms. Price... I can understand that this may be difficult, and we can recommend a few local..." the words of Officer Berry buzz through my head and I ignore the pity in their expressions.

'_I don't need their dumb sympathy, or their fucking counselling... _' I continue to nod at the wall as the two officers talk. While they drone on I think about Nathan and it fuels a rage inside of me.

"Why didn't you see he was such a fucking pyscho?" I shout at them, "he thought he owned that god damn school, and this town, and you just let him do whatever he wants. All of this is on you too!" Maybe a bit harsh but the two officers seem unphased.

It is Firth who breaks the silence, "Ms. Price, we do sympathize", I roll my eyes, "and we can not change the past. However, we can make sure that those responsible do get what they are owed. In order to do that, could you please tell us about the night when this photograph was taken?" Berry keeps his mouth shut throughout Firth's response.

After some hesitation I start to tell them everything I told Max. Except maybe the bits where I wanted to extort Nathan, or the blackmail, or about the gun in the bathroom, or that he killed me... I suppose I don't really tell them much, come to think of it. I struggle to answer specific questions, like if Nathan touched me. I don't even want to imagine that kind of horror.

"What was Mr. Jefferson's role in this?" Berry asks.

"He wasn't there," I say without much thought before adding, "but I was pretty out of it, you know, the creep might have been hiding out of sight for all I fucking know."

The two officers just give a silent look at one another.

"Chloe..." the formality disappears from Berry, and I am reminded now of the times I spent in the back of his car, being lectured over nothing, "what exactly was your relation with Frank Bower?"

"What? What's he got to do with it?" I exclaim, '_Shit, why did I even open my mouth?_'

"Frank turned himself in a few days ago, confessed to a number crimes, particularly ones relevant to this case. He mentioned a little book of his that could be used in evidence... not only to prove his wrongdoings, but also those of Nathan."

"I don't know what you're talking about." '_Fuck Frank, what have you got me into here._'

"Chloe... you have done nothing wrong, but we know you're in possession of that book." Firth says sternly.

"I uhh... I'm not sure I know what you mean" I squirm.

"It's our job to investigate. It's not hard to piece a few things together... David comes to us with information on Nathan and Mr Jefferson, David lives with you, and you happen to have the evidence pointing to Nathan and the bunker's location. I have a feeling that the town should be praising you right now, not David, am I right?"

I avoid their gaze.

"Look Chloe, we just want to put things right. We've been under the thumb of Prescott for a while now, we need this evidence to prove Nathan's guilt, and maybe even that of his Father" Berry pleads.

'_What the fuck do I do here?_' "How do I know you won't just give it to his Dad?" I cringe, '_Chloe, you are so fucking dumb sometimes_' I tell myself after admitting I have it.

"Chloe, this is an important piece of evidence to an ongoing investigation. If you don't hand it over to us, along with any other evidence you may have, then we will have to pursue a search warrant for the entire house. Do you want us to perform a thorough search of your belongings, or will you voluntarily hand over that book?" Firth demands.

"Fuck you guys," I exclaim as I stand up, "I'll get your damn book."

* * *

**TAYLOR**

* * *

I have never seen so many students crammed into the Blackwell cafeteria, there are too many for the seats available and some have to stand against the walls. There is a somber atmosphere, people are chatting to each other but there isn't the loud laughter and screaming I would expect. Maybe I'm projecting. Since Nathan... did what he did, Victoria left for better opportunities, the Club was disbanded and I find I have fewer friends. It's just me and Courtney sat together towards the back of the room, barely saying a word to one another. '_What did we used to talk about?_' I ask myself as I try to ease the silent awkwardness between us. '_I guess Victoria was the glue, she told us who to bitch about, who to focus on_,' but part of me now regrets that. I haven't yet apologised to Kate. I am unsure how.

While I sit and think I get the feeling that I am being watched. I look around and find Michael, the Blackwell creep, staring back at me. When I spot him he turns his head away, trying to pretend innocence.

"He's staring again," I guess I find something to talk to Courtney about.

"Who?" She asks, absent-mindedly. I nod to my right and we both see Michael looking down and blushing.

"You should report him you know." She sounds quite stern.

"For what? Staring at girls? I don't think that's a crime."

"Maybe, but they're taking this stuff seriously now since..." We both know about the event, but most people are reluctant to talk about it. I think maybe we just don't want to acknowledge what happened, or how close we were to such a tragedy. I think everyone is thinking it, '_what if it'd been me in that bunker?_'.

After a few more minutes I see two faces I haven't seen in a while. I am immediately overcome with guilt as I see Kate walk into the cramped cafeteria, alongside her is Max, her guardian angel. Maybe I imagine it but I feel the room grows a bit quieter with the two walking in, maybe they all feel a sense of guilt, or maybe again I am projecting. Space is made for them to sit on a bench near us but not near enough for us to hear them. I toy with the idea of going up to them, to strike up a conversation, when the room is burdened with the voice of Principal Wells booming through the speakers.

"Hello students," he begins and the room grows silent around him. Besides him stands a man of similar age to Wells and slightly more hair but much more of a jovial expression. His grey moustache, slight plumpness and waistcoat reminds me somewhat of a walking teddy bear. I half expect him to pull out a pocket watch at any moment. "Over the years I have taken great pleasure in..." he drones on and I lose focus.

I look around the room and see a lot of heavy eyelids, or people staring at their phones. I notice Michael again, this time staring in the direction of Max and Kate. It is shameless how long he continues to stare at the two, occasionally looking away when he thinks he's been spotted, but continuing to stare shortly afterwards. '_What a fucking creep, maybe I should say something to someone_'.

I lose my train of thought when I hear Wells continue, "...and so with a heavy heart I am resigning from this position which has brought me such reward." The room is more attentive now. "I will be entrusting your wellbeing, security, and growth to Principal Rumsford," Wells gestures to the man beside him. "I have known the Principal..."

'_I can't believe Wells is leaving,_' but after a moment of reflection I think '_well I suppose it makes sense, he's a drunk who took bribes, employed a possible serial killer and let one of his students get away with murder... literally. Maybe I should be shocked that he's not under arrest himself._'

"I trust that you will show the Principal the same respect that you showed to me."

"So none at all." I hear Courtney whisper and I suppress a laugh.

The shorter of the two now takes the microphone. "Thank you Principal Wells," his voice is softer than the loud tones of the previous speaker, "it gives me great pleasure to take on the mantle of your education at Blackwell Academy, though it is only a temporary measure until the board secures a more permanent position. In that time..." He also drones on and on. It seems principals are chosen for their ability to talk about nothing, we are all exposed to business talk, of how Blackwell performs well in certain metrics year after year, blah, blah, blah. He makes a serious offer for counselling should any student need it. I hate that more than a few people look in Kate's direction when he mentions this. Fortunately he doesn't speak forever, and after we are forced to give a farewell applause to the old Principal we all leave the cafeteria, eager to get back to our lives.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

"I can't believe Principal Wells is leaving us," I hear Kate say beside me, as we walk down the short ground-floor corridor of Blackwell Academy. We've had a whole day of lectures since then and Kate still seems surprised at the news. I'm glad it's the last lesson of the day, not long now before I can see Chloe.

'_I can't believe he lasted a week after all the stuff that happened_,' I think to myself. "It's a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one." I respond to Kate.

Each step down the hallway becomes heavier and heavier as we head towards our destination; the photography lab. My throat begins to feel dry and my tongue starts to swell. The door is a short distance away now and I see familiar faces in Daniel, Taylor and Stella heading into the class ahead of us. I stop a few steps away from the door, unable to continue. I hear a faint whisper, possibly Kate besides me, but it sounds like the distant howling of a wind. I feel a knot in my stomach and my wrists and ankles feel tight. I have to remind myself of my breathing techniques before I completely lose it. I close my eyes, take a deep breathe in and exhale slowly, again and again.

I hear the whisper again, it is Kate. "Max? Max!" She is shaking me by the shoulder. I look at her clearly concerned face, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine Kate," I try to fake a smile, "let's go in."

"Are you sure? What just happened?"

"It's nothing Kate..." I hate lying to her, "Ok, I'll tell you later, but for now I'm fine, okay?"

"I guess," she takes the lead, surprisingly, as we head in to the old classroom of Mark Jefferson. The walls are striped bare of any trace of him, it feels barren. '_Good, I don't need any reminders._' We sit down together at the desk I always used.

After a minute or two of idle chatter with Kate, I turn to see a young guy staring back at me from his window side seat. At once, he turns his attention back his phone, pretending he wasn't looking. '_I guess he's just wondering who I am, I haven't been here in a while after all._' He has long blonde hair, tied at the back but a little unkempt. There's a little fuzz on his upper lip and he wears a leather jacket, but I am unsure it suits his lanky frame.

"Do you know the guy by the window?" I whisper to Kate, trying not to be heard by him.

"Michael?" Kate responds equally quiet "I think you've met him before, back at the start of the year."

"Umm... I'm afraid I don't remember, sorry." I desperately search through all my memories over all the timelines I've visited, yet this is the first instance I've seen this guy.

Kate has a look of concern again. "Are you sure you're okay Max? You've been a little stressed out all day, and now you're losing your memories?" It has been a lot tougher of a day than I thought it would. Seeing everybody again, and constantly being reminded of the tragedy I inflicted upon them, has been difficult to manage. Kate thinks I am her support here, but it's definitely the other way around. I would have been lost without her.

"I'm okay..." I start, but my attention is drawn towards the door when the new Principal Rumsford walks through. He announces to the class that he'll be temporarily taking over until a permanent teacher can be found. He discusses his experience with photography, and it seems this was partly the reason he was elected for the temporary Principal position, but it pales in comparison to Jefferson. I loathe to say it, but besides being an utter psychopath, he was a good photographer. I cringe as I remember how much I idolised the sick freak. As he gives his introduction I look around the classroom again. I can only see Daniel, Taylor, Stella, Hayden and, of course, Kate. No Alyssa or Victoria though, but instead we have Michael, who I don't remember at all. '_Maybe he's been ill since the year started? I know Kate wouldn't lie to me..._ '

The class drags on but the questions are easy to anyone with any photography experience. I never answered any of them though, I've learnt my lesson of drawing a teacher's attention. Every time my mind wanders I start to think about the past, of what happened in this classroom only a week or two ago (at least from everyone else's perspective) and each time I find myself drifting, I try to pull myself together and focus on the present.

"That is almost the end of the lesson for today. As an assignment, by next Monday I'd like a photograph from each of you. I'd like to see something that represents you, the essence of yourself. Not only will it show me your artistic talent but I can also get to know my students."

'_How can a few short sentences bring such dread?_' I sit and wonder if I can teach Chloe how to take pictures in less a week, when the bell rings and ends the torture. As we pack up our things I turn to ask Kate about Victoria and Alyssa.

"I'm sorry Max, I don't know anything about Victoria. Her room was empty when I came back." I feel kind of sad that Victoria has left. I don't think she was a bad person in the end. Well, maybe she was a bitch to everyone, but there was a good person underneath it all.

"Oh," I say, "and what about Alyssa?"

"Who?" Kate asks.

"Alyssa, you know, purple hair, likes to read. She would sit over there," and I point to where Michael was sitting a few minutes ago.

"I'm sorry Max, I don't know who that is."

"How? You..." '_Oh no_,' I suddenly realise, '_am I in the wrong timeline?_' I finish packing my belongings and lift my old photography bag over my shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay Max?" I barely hear Kate, lost in my own thoughts, as I nod and start walking. After a few steps I remember something and turn, practically sprinting towards the back wall.

"It's gone," I say.

"What is?"

"The photo of us, of our group." I respond. It's just me and her left in the room now.

"Oh... good." I hear Kate whisper.

"I need to see..." I mumble to myself. "Kate, do you remember the photo that was here?" She politely nods at me. "Can you help me out, because I'm struggling to remember, who exactly was in that photo?"

"Are you..."

"Please Kate, please just humour me, I need to know."

"Ok, there was you and me, Taylor and Victoria," I can barely hear her over my own thumping heart, "Michael, Hayden, Stella and Daniel."

"and...?"

"That's everyone, Max"

'_Oh... fuck._'


	9. Friends and Foes

**CHLOE**

* * *

I take a long drag of a cigarette and rest my head against the cool brick of the pool building. This is a good spot, underneath some of my old graffiti. Out of sight of the main Blackwell entrance. Out of sight of that drunkard Wells.

"What a shitty day," I mumble to myself. '_I guess it's kinda ironic that time lasts fucking forever when Max isn't around._'

The ringing of the school bell echoes throughout the building in front of me, leaking through the few open windows. I stub out my death stick and keep my attention on the courtyard. After a moment a small crowd bursts through the front doors. I recognise some of them as they appear at the bottom of the stairs; either I used to have classes with them or I've seen them with Max before. It's hard to look out for Max, I know she's not the tallest but I'm confident I'd spot her in a crowd. I check my phone just in case but there's been no new messages since lunch time.

The gushing crowd thins out more and more until they become like steady drips from a tap; only a few and only occasionally. '_Shit, maybe I did miss her._' I start to walk towards the dorms when I finally see Max and Kate descending the stairs at a snail's pace. I instinctively hide behind a tree, ready to pounce when she least suspects it. My sneaky grin fades when I remember how well that went last time, and that was before the lifetime of trauma. 'S_he's probably had enough scares for a lifetime, idiot_' I tell myself as I slowly appear from behind the tree and shout Max's true name.

"Hey Dork-breathe!" I run up to them and add, "hey Kate."

"Chloe!" The adorable girl shrieks. Kate greets me politely as I embrace Max. I all but squeeze the life out of her.

"How was your day?" I ask, refusing to let her go.

Max rests her head against my shoulder. "Hella tiring." After a minute or two of warmth, we hear a delicate cough near us. I think we both kinda forgot that Kate was here and we break the hug. "Coming to my room?" She asks me.

"Max! You're such a temptress, it's only our second date!" She giggles, while Kate turns a shade of red and starts walking ahead of us. I grab Max's hand and we walk side-by-side. I ignore the few looks we get along the way. A short walk was made much longer by occasional greetings from Max's friends. "I didn't know you were such a popular girl," I whisper to her but she just grunts and shrugs her shoulders in response.

"They think I'm someone else," I hear Max mumble as we walk past Well's live-in house. Before I ask her what she means, we hear Max's name shouted from behind us, from someone I think I recognise but can't quite remember. She walks quickly towards us, avoiding a jog in those high heels.

'_Damn, she could be a model._' I take in the sight as she gets closer. '_Nothing on Rachel though_.'

"Hey Dana," Max responds with a smile. Kate draws near to Max and half hides behind her.

"It's so good to see you," Dana draws Max into a short hug, who is forced to let go of my hand in order to reciprocate. "We have so much to catch up on! We were all so worried when you heard about your coma; how are you feeling?" She asks with genuine concern.

"I'm okay now, thanks to these two." She nods at the both of us, reminding Dana that we're here.

Dana turns to Kate to say hello, which she sheepishly returns. "I'm relieved to see you out of your room." The remark seems odd but I just add it to the list of things to ask about later. "So you're the infamous punk who's dating our Max?" Her attention is now on me.

"Dating? I think we're at about tenth base by now." I grab Max's hand again and hold it tight, as if to say 'hand's off!'.

"Tenth? All this time I thought there were only four. You'll have to tell me more..."

I've already decided that Dana is somebody I could tolerate. "Where to start..." I make a show of being in deep thought. I turn to Max and ask "shall I tell her about that thing you do with your-"

"Stop! Noooo," a blushing Max shrieks out in panic. Both Dana and I giggle at her embarrassment, while Kate looks horrified. "We're about to head to my room for some tea, wanna come and hang out?" Max asks her in an effort to change the conversation, and it's the first time I'm hearing about these plans. '_Why do you tease me Max? I so desperately want you. Alone.__'_ I give her a look that she ignores.

"I'd love to!" Dana accepts the invitation and we start walking back towards the dorms. "I can't stay long though, Trevor is coming around..." Dana starts talking to Max about her plans for the evening while I sneakily let go of Max and slow down slightly to match Kate's lagging pace.

"Is everything okay?" I whisper to her.

Kate just gives me a somewhat confused look before answering, "I'm not sure..." I ask her to elaborate but she seems reluctant to talk about it in the present audience. Before we all step into Max's room, Kate announces, "Oh, I still have your tea in my room. Chloe, please could you give me a hand?"

Max and I exchange a quick look before I answer "sure thing Kate", and we both head into Kate's room. "Now, where do you want my hands?" I beam at her, before realising that was a probably a joke better suited for Max. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to be paying attention.

"I'll have to fill the kettle. I'll be back in a minute, don't go anywhere!" The quiet girl quickly spills out before leaving me alone in her dorm room.

"Awwwkward," I say to the empty room. I channel my inner Max and nosey around her room a little. It's an odd mix of effects, from crosses hanging on the walls to dark drawings on the floor. '_Damn these are hardcore...' _I pick one up to examine closer_, 'I think I preferred her cutesy drawings though, this is definitely not her style._' My stone heart melts when I see the little bunny sleeping in its cage. "Alice, eh? I think your Auntie Max mentioned you before... I'm glad you're okay."

Kate returns shortly afterwards with the full kettle and switches it on, before inviting me to sit on her settee. I feel a talk coming on.

"What's going on Chloe?" Kate asks me as we both sit down.

"Umm... nothing much, how about you?" I answer innocently enough.

"I mean, what's going on with Max?" Her tone is quite stern. I think she'd make a good teacher.

"What do you mean?" I try to deflect but I suspect this isn't going to be easy, whatever this is.

Her tone quickly changes to frustration, "does everyone think I am some naïve little girl just because of what I believe?"

"I... sorry Kate," I feel bad, "I know I've only known you for like, a week, but I honestly don't think you are naïve. I gotta say though that I wouldn't exactly call you worldly either.'

"I..." she starts, in frustration, but after a moment of reflection Kate relaxes her shoulders and continues, "I guess that's fair. So tell me then, what's going on with Max? She's been... different since her coma. She was always a bit quiet and nervous but lately it just seems like, an order of magnitude worse? She spaces out a lot more and I don't think I saw her eat anything all day. Maybe I'm not _worldly_ but I'm fairly sure she almost had a panic attack before our last class. Then, to top it off, she had this weird moment at the end where she couldn't remember her classmates."

"That doesn't seem that bad, I wouldn't be able to tell you the names of people I shared classes with."

"This is different though; when I reminded her of who they all were she looked so defeated, like her world has just collapsed."

"Hmm," I don't really have an answer to that but I'm familiar with that expression on Max's face.

"I just don't know how to make sense of this Chloe. Has something happened to her? Something I should be aware of?'

"Kinda, yeah." I respond, slowly. '_More than you could possibly imagine, Kate. __Fuck, I knew she shouldn't have gone back to school, what was she thinking?_'

"Can you tell me what it is?" She pleads with me. "Does it have anything to do with Mr Jefferson?"

"It's not really my place to say," I reply but she must have noticed my anger at hearing that name. I hastily add to my comment before she asks anymore questions and reads the responses directly off my face. "It's good that you care Kate, and I'm sure she appreciates your support. But it's like you said last week, all we can do at the moment is be there for her and if she wants to tell us anything, we'll be there to listen, right?" Besides, I would have no idea how to even begin telling her the truth. '_Would it go against her beliefs?_ _I'm not sure I even know all of it, I bet there's stuff she's keeping secret because she thinks it'll hurt me_'.

Kate doesn't like my answer so much, but she understands it. "You're right, I'm sorry for trying to interrogate you. It's just... I care about her, a lot."

"I can see that Kate, and I'm sure she knows it too." The flick of the kettle switch echoes through the room.

"We should get this to Max and Dana." Kate starts to stand up, but I grab her wrist and gently pull her back down to her seat.

"Can I ask you something first Kate?" She responds positively before I try to ask her about something Dana said earlier, but I am unsure how to really ask. The signs are all throughout the room; the covered mirrors, the dark drawings, the... self-destruction. '_What would I have wanted to hear when I was in my darkest place?_' I ask myself. '_Hey Chloe, I'm back_' was the obvious one, everything else I just responded to anger, so I know I have to be delicate here. "Do you still think about ending things?" Unfortunately delicacy has never been a trait of mine.

Kate stares at me for a moment, then at the wall, before turning her attention down to her feet. The silence is deafening. The young girl scratches casually at her arm, possibly something she picked up from Max, and tries to speak. I can see the words form on her lips; she clearly wants to say something but can't bring herself to do so. I put my arm on her shoulder and pull her towards me.

"Kate... you know how you care about Max?" The girl nods but doesn't lean in to my shoulder, she just remains motionless, staring at her lap. "Well Max and I care just as much, but about you, alright?" I keep my hand on the quiet girl's shoulders and think about how my life has changed so much over the past few weeks. "Can you make me a promise Kate?"

"What's that?" She asks, still motionless.

"Any time you have dark thoughts, can you message Max or me? Or both? You don't even have to tell us what's going on, if you don't want to talk about it, but please just reach out and say hello, okay?"

"I guess I can do that, but I..." I wait patiently for her as she struggles to form the rest of her sentence, "I don't want to be a burden to you guys."

"Kate," I move back a little and raise her head to face mine, only a few inches away, "if the roles were reversed, would you think Max was being a burden?"

Her lips quiver, "no," she says meekly.

"We're not any different, okay? You'll never be a burden to us." Kate buries her head back into my shoulder and starts to cry this time. "We both like you, okay?" There is no response but the tears. I hold her tighter and let her get it out of her system. My phone buzzes in my pocket but I ignore it. When things quiet down I ask her, "so is that a promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"And not just when you're feeling down, message us whenever you want, hang out with us and stuff. I can't promise I'll always be on my best behaviour though."

Kate gives a soft chuckle and lets go of me, "No worries Chloe, I can tell you're really putting in the effort to avoid cussing."

"That obvious?"

"It looks like you're about to pop!" She chuckles again and I respond in kind.

"Shall we go back, or do you want to stay here for a bit longer?" I ask her.

"No, no, we should get you back. I'll have to boil this again," she says as she flicks the switch of the kettle. "Can you take the cups and tea back? I need to quickly wash my face."

"Okay, laters Katers."

I pick up the stuff and, with a bit of a struggle, manage to open the door to Max's room. They are both sitting on her settee when I enter, and I hear the tail end of the conversation from Dana. "I'm sorry Max, I just can't recall anyone like that. I could ask Juliet if you like? She seems to know everyone on campus."

"Who's this?" I ask to the pair as I place the mugs and stuff down on the carpet, for a lack of anywhere else to share them. The two other girls slide off the settee and on to the floor to join me.

"It's uhh... not that important." I can tell from Max's tone and expression that that's a lie, but I figure it's power-related chat for private discussion, so I don't pursue it further. "No Kate?" Max asks with a bit of concern.

"Small errand, she'll be here in a minute. If she doesn't run into the Blackhell Bitch, that is."

Max glares while Dana laughs and asks, "who on Earth is the Black- Oooooh, Victoria, right?"

"Who else?" I ask in return.

"Well, you've obviously not met half of the cheerleading team." Dana responds.

"Probably not, we're hardly in the same social circle." I struggle to remember any cheerleaders.

"I think you'd be surprised," Dana smirks, "but you don't have to worry about Vicky anymore, she's gone."

The colour fades from Max's face, obviously she's thinking of the worst, and probably wondering how she caused it.

"Gone?" I ask Dana, as Kate walks through the door with a kettle of hot water.

Kate sits with us as Dana continues, "she went back to Seattle when, umm... , she had no more reason to be here."

"What reason is that?" The silent and awkward atmosphere makes me wish I hadn't asked, but I can piece the puzzle together. "Oh right," I add.

Fortunately Kate joins in and asks the pair which tea they'd prefer before pouring a cup for them. I pass on the offer while I take in the sight of Max's room for the first time. It is... not quite what I expected. There are no decorations on the wall and... I think I smell a hint of fresh paint. I totally expected hipster shit all over the place.

Max recognises my confusion before I even ask, "when security came to get Alice, they saw the paint from... that psycho and had to repaint the room. I just haven't had chance to redecorate."

"What paint?" Dana asks before Kate and I get the chance.

"I... I'd rather we talk about something that isn't Blackwell, if I'm honest." Dana and I share a glance.

"No worries Max," Kate replies.

There's a small awkward silence before Dana attempts a new topic. "Sooo, did you see the anti-rain the other day? Some say it's got something to do with that weirdo storm thing." Kate makes a small comment in reply, but Max stares through us and into the distance. '_Jesus Christ, does she have to be reminded every day of that damn storm?_'

"Uhh... Dana, tell us about your date tonight." I prompt her.

Dana seems taken aback by the abrupt change of topic, but simultaneously delighted at the chance to speak about it. Max mouths a 'thank you' to me, unseen by the other two. The conversation thus continues between the four of us.

When we finish our tea, Dana looks at her phone and announces that she has to leave. "This was nice though, we should definitely do it more often. "

"You're welcome any time Dana." Max adds.

"Uhh... I should be going too." Kate announces, as all four of us stand up to say our goodbyes.

"Are you sure Kate?" Max asks her

"I've been around you all day Max, I think you need a break. I think someone is dying for your attention too." That gets a smile out of everyone.

Before they leave, Dana adds in a comment regarding the upcoming Halloween party. The silent response is a little awkward, I think maybe Dana doesn't fully realize why. "I uhh...", I speak on behalf of Max and Kate, "we'll think about it." but I'm pretty sure they've both had enough of Blackwell parties.

"Awesome. C'mon Kate, let's leave the two love birds for the evening." We each say goodbye and the two friendly girls disappear through the door.

The moment the door to Max's room closes, I pounce on the freckly girl and attempt to suck the life out of her. After a few minutes of inspecting each other's mouths, we separate our lips and look into each other's eyes. "I missed you so much," she is the first one to say what we're both thinking.

"Mm, hmm," I agree, before kissing her again.

* * *

A greasy pizza box lies on the carpet of Max's room, surrounded by papers full of squiggles and arrows. Some words like 'storm', 'powers' and 'Alyssa' are circled, with arrows pointing to other words and bullet points detailing Max's most recent premonition. Even laid out like this, we are unable to piece all of it together.

Instead we are both cuddling together on Max's settee, watching old episodes of X-Files on her laptop; a brief respite from googling possible tsunami targets. I have one arm around her and she has her head resting on my shoulder.

"I think I get it now," I say to her.

"Get what?" Max asks me while keeping her eyes on the screen.

"Why you insist on going to school, after all the shit that's happened..."

She leans up and looks at me before answering, "because I'm so close to a perfect GPA?"

I give her a look that screams 'who are you trying to kid?' She sighs and leans back on my shoulder. "You're a good person Max," I give her a little squeeze, "and I'm glad she has you looking out for her."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Max says sheepishly.

"Seriously though, I'm kinda worried about her."

This gets her attention; she fully pulls herself away from me and looks into my eyes. "What happened?" She asks with a serious expression.

"Nothing _happened,_ as such, I'm just worried that something _might_ happen again. I told her to talk to us more often."

The girl displays her cute smile and responds, "you're a good person Chloe."

"I'm not. I just care about her... and you..." I say, turning my attention back to the laptop screen.

"Mm-hmm," she says, still looking at me, "and the whole of Arcadia Bay." She leans in to plant a kiss on my cheek. "This is just another reason why I love you, you goof. You have this hella cool, sexy," another kiss, this time on the lips "and angry exterior but down on the inside you have so much love and compassion." God damn she is so cute and hot. "You're the exact opposite of me," she whispers.

It takes a moment for my brain to adjust from flirty Max, to self-deprecating Max. "What?" I ask, dumbfounded.

She is sat up, looking down and scratching at her wrist. I am reminded of Kate from earlier today. "When people look at me, they think I'm some kind of hero for saving Kate, but-"

"But nothing Max! You are a hero! You've saved my life so many times, you saved Kate's life, you found the serial killer and you stopped a fucking storm Max!"

"But I-"

"You what? Let the storm hit the town? Let people die? Max, they're not dead now! Why do you not get this?" I can see the tears forming in her eyes, "I know you've been in some really shitty situations Max, I'll never possibly understand what any of it was like... but the way I see it, you went through so much fucking agony so that you _could_ save everyone's life and if that isn't the very definition of a hero then I don't know what is." The sight of her tears dripping down her cheeks breaks my heart, but I need to tell her how I see it. She needs to understand that she's not the villain. I put my arms around her and hold her tightly. "Maybe we'll never know why you have this kinda power... but I'm glad you're the one who has it."

"Why?" She asks quietly.

"You really are a dork, Max." I squeeze her tighter, "think about it for a minute. With your kind of power you could really fuck shit up, you could make people do whatever you want and make yourself Empress of the world or some shit. The fact that this never even occurred to you, is why I'm glad you're super-powered... and why I love you."

"I don't want any of that stuff," her tears are now drying, "I just want this. I just want you."

"Well," I start to say before breaking the embrace and looking into her eyes, "you've got this Max. You've got me." I kiss her passionately, ignoring her wet cheeks.

"Wowzers," she softly exclaims after we break the kiss.

I chuckle, "never change Max, never change." We start to kiss again as I lift her up and carry her over to the bed.

* * *

**JAY**

* * *

I pull up at the side of the quiet road just outside of town, out of sight of any houses or other buildings. The sun set an hour ago so the road is particularly deserted of all vehicles, except for the one parked directly in front of me. I grab my briefcase from the passenger footwell and step outside into the chilly Monday evening. The briefcase is a relic from my Father; it feels heavy in my hands, as if weighed down by his disappointment in what I am about to do.

After a dozen steps, I get into the other car, closing the door behind me. The briefcase sits heavy on my lap.

"I hope this is quiet enough for you," says the gentleman in the driver's seat. I avoid looking in his direction, and instead keep my eyes focused on the mirrors.

"We should keep this short..." I begin unclicking the latches to the case, and pull out the papers within. "Obviously you didn't get any of this from me."

"Right," the driver confirms as he takes the papers from me and starts to flick through them. "Let's see... Heather Fields, Daniel Smith, Maxine Caulfield, Geoff Baker... is that all?"

"That's all I could personally remember. I didn't want to raise suspicion by asking around. This is enough for now."

"Ok," he starts to say, but I have already slammed the suitcase shut and have my hand on the door.

As I leave, I lean back into the car and say, "you know how to contact me." He just nods in my direction before I close the door to his car and head back to my own, ready to begin another shift.

* * *

**MICHAEL**

* * *

'_It's not fair, what is so bad about me? Am I really that detestable?_' I examine myself in the mirror, '_why can't they see that I'm a nice guy? I treat all women with the respect and dignity that they deserve.'_

I sigh and lean back in my chair. I open up a new tab and go to Facebook. It's only been five minutes since I last checked but there might be new photos, or better yet, maybe they split up and she needs a rebound. I find her page easily enough and visit. '_Damn, nothing new. I wonder what she's doing right now?_'

"Who the fuck is Chloe Price anyway?" I grumble to myself. '_It's not fair, Max and I were supposed to be together. Why couldn't she see that we're perfect for each other; that it's supposed to be fate? How fucking dare she treat me like this, the dumb bitch._' I stare at her portrait photo as I imagine Max and I living life together, and fucking all the time. '_That would be so amazing. I would treat her like a princess._'

I slap the desk in front of me, '_how can I split them up?_' I ask myself. '_How do I make her understand that I'm the one she's supposed to be with? That I'm the only one who can treat her right? I've gotta be better than this Chloe trash, surely.'_

'_Maybe she'll just realize in time and when her phase is over, I'll be there for her._' I sigh and put my head on the desk. After a few minutes I lift up my head and look through the profiles of other girls I share classes with. I find old faithful in one of Taylor's beach photos from the past summer.

Some time later, after I have relieved a bit of tension, I find myself writing in my journal. I think it's a dumb and girly thing to do, but I saw a post on _b_ that claimed it will help with the upcoming No-Nut November. I guess I was supposed to use it as tension relief, but looking back it's now just become full of sordid fantasies and complaints. I write a little bit about Taylor before heading to bed.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

The nightly terrors jolt me awake and I find myself resting on Chloe's naked chest; the perfect pillow. I delicately lean over to check the time on my phone, disappointed to see it's not even two in the morning, and rest my head back on her chest. I close my eyes and listen to her heartbeat and rhythmic breathing; it's a soothing melody to my fragile state but it's not enough to help me get back to sleep. '_I wish I could sleep without the dreaming bits_,' I muse, '_I wish I could forget everything that's happened_.' I feel some envy for Chloe, Kate and the others at Blackwell; they've lived, or died, through a lot of the same stuff I have... but they get to forget it when I change things. '_At least they're alive_. _At least Chloe is here, alive, breathing underneath me right now_. _Her heartbeat is so comforting._' I am so thankful for this moment. I move my right hand up to her chest, attempting to get a more comfortable position.

After another ten minutes of pretending to sleep, I feel something between my fingers. With experience from previous encounters I keep my eyes closed and feel out the string-like object. It seems to connect to the centre of Chloe's chest, and leads towards the middle of my room. I let go and feel at my own chest with the same hand. I feel concerned for Chloe when I find nothing there. '_What does it mean if she has one?_' I wonder. I move my hand back to find the string leading from her chest and with great delicacy, I peel myself away from her and out of bed.

As I trace the string along my room I think I hear sounds, just at the edge of hearing; faint echoes of voices, possibly of Chloe, possibly of me, though it could be anybody really. Halfway there I bump into another string, this time it blocks my path, seeming to move between the window and the door.

'_If they are all around me, then I must walk through them all day without knowing. Surely I can pass through this one?_' I attempt to push against the second string but there is too much resistance, so instead I duck underneath it. After another step I feel a knot in the string emanating away from Chloe. The knot is where it's tied to another string, but it seems to be like a focal point, changing the path of both of them. I gently caress each of the three other paths until I hear similar echoes to the previous and, keeping my eyes closed, follow it out of my dorm room, being careful not to bump into the door.

Confident that nobody else will be awake, I follow the string through the corridor. However, it crosses many other strings along the way, which I have to step over or duck underneath. After such a slow pace, being extremely careful not to trip or bump into anything, I finally find myself outside in the cold air. At least, I know rationally that it is cold but I do not feel it. I continue to follow the string, down the few steps and further into the courtyard. With each additional step the number of strings becomes greater and greater until I have to stop, no longer able to continue without contorting my body.

'_What now?_' I ask myself.

While I stand there in the courtyard, wondering what to do next, a light appears beside me. My eyes remain fully shut yet I can see the string I am holding, the same string that originated from Chloe's chest. The light that I see is the string itself; it has the feel of string but looks like a laser beam you see in old heist movies, though this one glows with a bright blue-tinted light all across its length. It stretches from behind me and carries on all the way to infinity but not in a straight line; it randomly changes positions all the time and loops around itself. From above it must look like a child's squiggles.

Gradually each of the other strings in front of me appear, as though they were controlled by a dimmer switch. Each string has their own unique colour and each follows a seemingly random squiggly path, some of them form knots with others and some others just abruptly end.

"Whoa," I feel like I am at a laser show yet my eyes still remain shut.

With each moment I spend like this I see more and more strings becoming visible, shining their lights around me. With significant reluctance I decide I should stop and go back inside. I open my eyes but nothing changes; I still see nothing but the erratic beams of light illuminating the surrounding void.

I attempt to rub my eyes but I am unable to find my face, my invisible hands just pass through empty space. I scream but I hear nothing. I turn around and attempt to walk back towards the dorm, but I am unable to move from this spot. I finally realize that I no longer feel weight on my feet... I no longer feel the ground below. I become conscious that I am no longer breathing, nor do I hear a heartbeat in this absolutely silent void. I have flashbacks to a similar experience, '_but they were just coma dreams, surely?_' At least I am still capable of thought.

I remain there for an uncountable amount of time, until I notice another light source; a new one illuminating the immediate surrounding beams with an intense orange glow. I am still able to change the direction of my vision and so I look downwards. Instead of the body that I am used to, I instead see bright flames dancing around, as if blown around by a storm.

'_Is that me? What the heck am I?_'

* * *

**DANA**

* * *

"Thanks again for tonight," Trevor beams in delight.

"You say it like you're the only one who had fun," I tease the skater. "It was a good gig, a lot of good vibes. I should be thanking you for driving." I give his hand a squeeze.

"Shhh, we'll wake Wells... or whoever's sleeping in there now," he nods at the house. We try to walk on our tip toes but make an awful attempt at suppressing our giggles.

When we turn around the corner into the courtyard, we both stand still, shocked by the sight of snowfall in front of us. It's not the first time it's snowed recently but this is extra unusual, as it's only falling on one little spot, about the same diameter as the height of a man. Trevor gasps and sprints towards the centre. At first I think he's aiming to play and so I run to catch up, as best as I am able to in these shoes. However, when I get closer it becomes clear why Trevor was so desperate to get here.

In the middle of the snowfall I see a silhouette of a person lying on the ground.

"Max!" I shout, not caring if anyone hears. "Max!" Her skin is freezing and wet. "We have to get her inside right now." Trevor has already taken off his jacket and put it on the poor girl. He picks her up in his arms and carries her inside, while I open the doors along the way.

'_How the hell did she get like this?_' I wonder, as I dial 911.


End file.
